Etude of War
by CrystalPhoenixFlames
Summary: Post-S3: One mistake in war can lead to certain death, but Albert Silverberg represented the best of the best. Who knew that it would be Caesar who manages to touch the lives of all three armies, including that of his own brother? Finished!
1. Wind

Disclaimer: I don't own Suikoden I, II, III, IV, V…

* * *

Apple slowly walked past each stone slab, softly clutching a bouquet of white flowers. It was a fairly windy day; the currents batted at the ex-strategist's hair and clothing almost furiously, but she refused to quicken her pace. After all, today marked the first year after he had been killed, and she refused to violate it. She continued up the hill, trying to suppress her annoyance at the weather and the location the others picked for a graveyard.

The Grasslanders and Zexen regarded him as a hero, and tradition called for his final resting place to be no lower than the top of the hill. The graves that surrounded his were of those who died in battle, ones that had served under him. On top of most of the graves rested flowers, brought by those left behind. Surprisingly, although the wind pulled at the trees and grass, it refused to touch the offerings, leaving the gifts where their mournful bearers had left them. Apple remembered her previous visits when the wind would mercilessly throw loose items about, usually spreading brightly colored petals across the burial land.

Apple finally reached the top of the hill and stopped to catch her breath. The wind had increased considerably, and it now blew so turbulently that each gust roared against the outside of her ears and threatened to send her tumbling back down the hill. When she straightened and adjusted her glasses, she suddenly realized that another had beaten her to her destination. He wore a long coat and black scarf. To Apple's surprise, he didn't notice her presence and merely stood where he was, motionlessly staring at the grave with his gloved hands in his pockets. The wind tossed his red hair about his face, but he seemed to either not feel or not care.

"Albert?" Apple called his name as she approached him from behind. He turned his head a little to make eye contact with her and to show that he heard her but then returned to his initial position without saying a word. The wind suddenly died and all was still.

Apple placed her flowers next to another which she presumed was Albert's. "So, why are you here?" she tried to keep her voice casual. The tactician's lack of response added to her annoyance. Apple continued, in a more bitter tone, "You missed his funeral after all. Why bother coming a year late?"

"We had to stabilize the Harmonian hierarchy. He would never forgive me if war broke out again," Albert finally answered.

Apple inwardly sighed in relief that Albert finally said something. However, it wasn't like him to not make sarcastic remarks.

"I see," she said and turned to leave. "Well, I must be going now. Take care," she forced the last two words out. Apple began walking away, trying to suppress her anger at Harmonia's strategist. She knew that her emotions were misplaced and tried to escape in order to save both herself and the strategist. It was mostly to save herself because she knew that Caesar wouldn't have wanted her and his brother to fight, especially in front of his grave.

"It was my fault he died," Albert's voice made Apple turn around. He sighed, and continued softly; Apple could almost hear regret in his tone. "I made one mistake, one faulty assumption during that last battle, and this is the result. I might as well have killed him with my own hands."

"You controlled every aspect of that war. You saw him as a threat to your plan, so you must have planned his death from the very beginning," Apple exploded, well aware that she greatly exaggerated this last statement but unable to control her rising anger and grief.

Albert shook his head. "Never. I would never purposely kill my little brother. Also, there are always factors in a war that cannot be controlled. As a scholar of strategy, you should know that well."

"Stop blaming others for what you did. Words prove nothing, Albert Silverberg," Apple retorted bitterly.

He smiled sadly, "Of course they do not. Even my presence here can never suffice as a penance."

"If you understand that, then why are you here?" Apple asked, completely missing the other's sincerity. She had loved the younger Silverberg as much as she would her own son if she had had one. However, since Apple didn't have children, the intensity of her anger towards Albert was even greater. She knew somewhere deep down that she shouldn't blame the older Silverberg for her student's death, but many months of asking herself "Why?" had forced her into making a scapegoat of Albert to lesson her grief and instead add to her anger. Albert's self-guilt over his brother's death only added to Apple's negative depiction of him.

Albert inwardly sighed. He did not possess the mind set or strength to seek a way to overcome Apple's delusion in his current state, and instead seemed to regain a part of the personality Apple knew so well and answered, averting the question, "No reason. I just happened to be passing by."

"You're both immoral and heartless!" she accused him and stormed away. Albert watched her leave. Satisfied that the only witness was gone, he turned back to the grave. The wind picked up again at his will.

"Hey Caesar…" he muttered, "I'm sorry…"

* * *

Old Note: The war Apple referred to is not the one in Suikoden III, and this story takes place a little after the end of the game. (I'm telling you this now just in case I don't update in a while because of finals.)

New Note: I still remember this chapter; I was thinking about using this as a one-shot. The potential for a tragedy made me continue. Thank you for reading!


	2. So it Begins

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

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_It all started a few months after Luc's death…_

"Another war?" Albert asked, nearly breaking his expressionless mask with a look of incredulity. The two currently occupied the Bishop's private quarters in order to lessen the chances of anyone undesirable distracting or spying on them. However, although Albert was accustomed to such meetings, this particular one made him nervous; after all, tensions between the two had not lessened the slightest since the last war. Fortunately for the strategist, Albert had more than enough experience to maintain an expressionless demeanor, at least for now.

"Yes, Lord Hikusaak has ordered that I return to the Grasslands and Zexen to secure the two True Runes," Sasarai answered with a tinge of scorn in his voice. Three months was far too short a time to forget that his subordinate had conspired with Luc, performed a coup d'état on Sasarai, and then betrayed Luc after he got what he wanted. When no response came from the strategist, the bishop added, "I'll be watching every move of yours, Albert."

Ironically, Sasarai had earlier refused to lay eyes on his strategist ever since they returned to Harmonia. Albert humorously recalled how Sasarai would walk past him, head raised high and eyes pointed straight forward, whenever they happened to pass each other in the many glorious halls of the main castle. It seemed as if Sasarai wanted to simply erase Albert's existence from his mind, except the Bishop's eyes clearly indicated a change from a distant reverie to a determination to appear indifferent every time the two met. Meanwhile, Dios had noticed that the Lord Sasarai had been unusually distant since he returned from the war, and he told himself that Albert's existence might actually be beneficial for the sanity of the Bishop. "I'd rather the Lord Sasarai openly direct his anger towards you than display no emotion at all," Dios once told Albert.

Snapping out of his own reverie, the Silverberg couldn't resist raising an eyebrow at Sasarai's threat, "You trust me that much? I was under the impression that you'll never require my services again."

The strategist watched as his superior flinched slightly, obviously trying to withhold a nasty less-than-professional comeback. Composing himself, Sasarai turned to look out the window with his back to Albert and crossed his arms. "Don't get the wrong idea; you just happened to be the best strategist we have at the moment, and this is a very delicate mission. If Lord Hikusaak hadn't requested for you personally, I would have happily found another."

Albert hesitated before answering and weighed each possible reply to Sasarai, eventually deciding on a simple, "I understand." Surprised at such a humble response, Sasarai turned back around to look at the strategist. However, Albert's usual expressionless face was all he saw.

Annoyed, Sasarai returned his gaze back out the window and announced, "You may leave." He felt the other bow and leave the room. "That was strange, coming from him…" Sasarai muttered to himself. He sighed, trying to pull his emotions back into their rightful cages. The Bishop settled for staring at the scenery from his window and took a deep breath as the scent of morning dew entered his lungs. He had forgotten how beautiful this palace really was; years of familiarity had null his appreciation for the many gardens that spread out around the outside of every wall.

Sasarai now gazed at the garden as he had when he was still in training many years ago. Each planted flower and tree rustled with fresh life. Each neatly placed rock and artificial pond called for perfection and tranquility. Sasarai wondered at how from such a perfect palace could breed such war and chaos. He finally sighed and closed his window, "I am no different from this palace… I am just as artificial… a shell and nothing else…"

--

The door burst open with a gust of wind as Albert walked into his private quarters. Another blast of wind made the door slam shut and the many locks close. He put a gloved hand to his forehead and tried to calm his nervous breathing.

"Damn, he probably already knows," Albert cursed to himself. He was pretty sure that his reputation from the previous war and as a Silverberg weren't the only reasons for Hikusaak to order him to plan a war involving the True Runes again.

"Oh dear, I see that you've already started to lose control of your emotions," a familiar sarcastic voice commented behind him. "Shall I kill you now before you lose your sanity, or shall I wait until after when you've destroyed something?"

Albert whirled around. "Yuber! What are you doing here?" The demon had situated himself on one of the two opposite sofas in the room with his legs resting rudely on top of the table between them.

"What do you think? You didn't think that I was going to skip out on the chaos? I can almost taste the blood…"

"… then go and kill whoever you want when the time comes. Don't bother me about it," Albert interrupted, striding across the room for some wine. The demon watched as he poured some expensive wine into a glass for himself and sat on the sofa opposite the demon, sipping the blood-colored liquid.

"Ah, but I could be of some use to you," Yuber replied as he removed his legs from the table. Albert found himself staring into Yuber's bloodthirsty mismatched eyes despite his effort to not look at the demon since noticing him upon entering the room. Yuber pointed at the gloved back of his hand, smirking. "It came to you, right? I had some suspicions, but now I know for sure after seeing you like this."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Albert replied calmly. The wine had worked its magic, and his usual composure was back. The strategist knew that Yuber wouldn't believe him, but he had denied it out of habit. It was true though, it had come to him. The moment that Albert felt its call and the familiar symbol appear on the back of his hand, he knew that Luc was no more. At first, he had tried to ignore the constant discomfort it caused him, but eventually he gave in and instead grabbed it by the neck and gave it a good shake by taking a week off, to the surprise of many, in order to study the power he had attained so that he could stifle it. The result was satisfactory enough, Albert only lost control whenever his emotions got the better of him, and that occurred only in rare occasions. Thankfully, the True Rune only caught him off guard while he was by himself since Albert usually loses his composure in the presence of no one. Today was an exception. Not that Albert expected someone to be in his room, however.

"Your control of it might be even better than Luc's. I've never seen him locking doors with it…" Yuber continued, ignoring Albert's refutation.

The tactician inwardly sighed. He might as well make this quick. After all, Yuber had a habit of playing mind games if their conversations dragged out long enough. "Okay, I get the point. What do you want?"

"What do I want?" Yuber answered as a crazed grin formed on his face. He leaned in slightly as to intimidate the strategist. "A way to Hikusaak…"

"… to serve him?" Albert asked although he knew the answer.

Yuber broke into a hysterical laughter, slapping a hand onto his forehead. "That's funny… no… to kill him… destroy him… cut him up… you know, the usual."

"What good would that do you?" Albert asked him.

Yuber finally stopped laughing but retained his grin. "I thrive on chaos. If I destroy Hikusaak's True Rune, the embodiment of order, the balance will be shifted indefinitely towards chaos. In return, you won't have to worry about him hunting down your True Wind Rune." He moved closer again. "So how about it? All you have to do is give me a few things to do, a few people to kill. I'll take care of the rest once it's official that I _serve _Harmonia, and the great Hikusaak shows his face out of curiosity. After all, he's after all the True Runes, isn't he?"

Albert turned away, "I'm not making any promises, but I'll consider your offer."

"Excellent," the demon said. He grabbed the opened bottle of wine off the table where Albert had left it. "A toast to the fall of Hikusaak…" he said and gulped down its contents without waiting for Albert, allowing a bit of the wine to flow down his chin like streams of fresh blood. The strategist merely looked on without moving his own glass, but the demon never noticed nor cared. Instead, Yuber wiped the liquid from his mouth on his sleeve and stood up, stretching.

"As much as I enough playing around with you, I have a few things I must attend to. Until we meet again," Yuber said, grinning. With those words he vanished from the room.

Finally alone in his own room, Albert unrolled a huge sheet of paper and set to work. "Hikusaak…"

* * *

Old Note: Hello! I'm very sorry for any prolonged delays with updates (bows in apology). I promise that I will finish it, eventually, but as of right now there's a lot going on (summer school, summer homework, AP classes, etc.). I thank you for reading though. Oh, by the way, if by some small chance that you read the first chapter during the time that it was first posted, I made some changes to it a few months (not sure exactly when) ago to better fit the rest of the story.

New Note: Wow, I'm surprised… I haven't written fanfiction for the sake of posting in ages! This story's going through a slight augmentation (wouldn't call it a rewrite because I'm really just adding stuff). Yeah… haha so I hope to finish it before school work catches up XD. Thanks for reading!


	3. Artificiality

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

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_In a country overseas…_

Caesar gave a loud yawn as he stretched, knocking over one of the many piles of books next to him. He stared groggily at the mess and wondered why he even bothered reading them in the first place.

"I'd never thought that this would get boring so fast," he muttered. After a few moments of wishing that the pile would clean itself up, Caesar gave up and began picking up the huge dusty volumes. "I wish Apple was here," he sighed. She would usually help him clean up, although Caesar would end up paying a book to the head for not concentrating. However, Apple was far away in Seika, teaching at her new school.

As Caesar lifted the last book from the floor, he noticed a small envelope lying where the mess had been earlier. He picked it up, trying to recall when and where it came from. Caesar's stomach turned when he remembered that one of the servants of the massive library he was staying in had given him the envelope two days ago, and he had absentmindedly used it as a bookmark without reading it. He felt even more ill when he turned the envelope around and saw the seal of Harmonia.

"Maybe it was something important," he muttered, looking to see if anyone was in the room. Caesar slumped into his chair and opened the envelope, wondering why it was so thin despite being a letter from the highly official nation of Harmonia. He took out a small piece of paper and jumped out of his chair when he saw the text, knocking the cushioned wooden seat over in the process.

"This is…" His brother's writing gleamed out from the paper in black ink. Although it was written quickly, Caesar was certain that it was Albert's writing. He hadn't heard much about his brother after the war, although he made little effort to find out what had happened after the elder Silverberg betrayed Luc. Calming himself down, Caesar began reading it to himself silently:

_Water and Fire are in danger. Meet me in Caleria's inn in four days. The preservation of three nations is at stake._

Albert hadn't signed the letter, having assumed that Caesar still remembered how his older brother's writing looked like. Caesar reread the letter several times, pondering at what he should do.

"This may be a trap, but if Hugo's in trouble," he said to himself. "I have to go…" After thinking for a few moments, he added casually, "Yeah, I might as well pay the Grasslands a visit. Anything beats being covered in dusty books all day," Caesar quickly convinced himself to leave the huge old library with its huge old volumes behind.

--

_Four days prior in Harmonia…_

"If we attack the Grasslands now, chances of another treaty are next to zero. Also, our own army faces the possibility of becoming weakened to the point that other nations would take the opportunity to declare war on Harmonia," Albert began the meeting. Other than the strategist, only Dios and Sasarai were present in the chamber. Sasarai didn't want any information of the war disclosed until he was certain that they could not get out of it.

"Hikusaak ordered that we retrieve the True Runes, and a war is the only option for such a task. If you have another idea, I'd gladly listen," Sasarai said, adding a sarcastic tone to the second sentence. Although he ordered the secret meeting, the idea of being in the same room as Albert irritated him even now.

"Actually, I don't. The Flame Champion would never hand over his rune willingly," Albert admitted. Before Sasarai could respond, he continued, "However, I believe that we can minimize, if not eliminate all casualties on both sides."

"Oh, how so?" Sasarai asked.

Albert hesitated, picking his words carefully. He couldn't afford slipping now. "An acquaintance of mine currently holds the True Wind Rune. If we can use him to create an imaginary foe that appears and seemingly attacks both our forces during the middle of the battles, we might be able to convince the higher ups to abort this mission and concentrate on defending themselves from this new supposed threat. Also, we can use it as a reason to sign another pact with the Grasslands."

"The True Wind Rune has reappeared? Why didn't you tell the council?" Sasarai exploded.

"And how is starting a war going to help with relations? Didn't you just tell us that an attack on the Grasslands would end all future negotiations?" Dios spoke for the first time. He had restrained from speaking earlier, not wanting to attract any of Sasarai's anger towards himself. However, such an obvious question needed answering, and he couldn't resist the urge to ask.

"I never said that we'll be attacking the Grasslands like last time. Rather, it's going to be an artificial war," Albert answered Dios's question, choosing to ignore Sasarai. "Our forces will engage in mock combat until the sign comes from the Rune Bearer to retreat. Of course, we'll have to do a little explaining to our own soldiers."

"What sign would that be?" Sasarai decided to let his earlier question slide, although he longed to tear the answer from the strategist. However, something told him that Albert wouldn't have answered no matter how hard he tried. Another unexplainable feeling told him that the Silverberg was not telling them the entire truth.

"You'll know when the time comes. It would be related to the wind."

"And the Grasslands?" Dios asked.

"Leave the negotiations to me," Albert reassured them.

--

Sasarai once again found himself staring out his window for solace. "Artificial war, huh?" he muttered.

"You do not seem keen on the idea," a voice said behind him.

"How can you expect me to trust Albert so easily, Dios? It is not the idea that I uncomfortable with. It's… something doesn't feel right." The two remained in silence as Sasarai continued to gaze outside his window at the now moon-illuminated gardens. "Have you noticed lately?" he muttered, more to himself than to Dios.

"Noticed what, my lord?"

"The wind is blowing the wrong direction…"

"Yes, that is very strange," Dios replied dutifully. He made a mental note to observe the wind more carefully from now on. After all, Luc, previous carrier of the True Wind Rune, had complete control of the wind around him. If a little more observation of his surroundings would help keep his superior from near death again, then it was worth it.

"I wonder what the new carrier of the True Wind Rune thinks of his new situation. He must have access to at least part of Luc's memories."

"Do you feel empathy for him, Lord Sasarai?"

"No… I'm just curious. It's true that we were both chosen by the True Runes, but I am different… I was not just chosen; I was created. Who could I possibly empathize with now? If the True Wind Rune has indeed transferred, then Luc is gone from this world."

"Your," Dios hesitated, "brother was misguided. He did not value life as we do, as Harmonia does."

"You know, Dios," Sasarai paused as if in deep thought, "I think there was a lot more to Luc than that. I've been wondering these past months if Luc was actually kinder than any one of us." He closed his eyes and breathed in the night air. "But it's too late now…"

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Old Note: Wow, I actually finished another chapter. I'm so happy! Thank you for reading! Let's hope the next chapter will be up sometime soon, like this week… or a few months from now…

New Note: Thank you for reading!


	4. Two Requests

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

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_In Caleria's inn…_

"Another war?" Caesar yelled in disbelief. Albert sighed. He had rented the entire second floor of the inn in order to make sure that no one overheard their discussion and now his idiot brother is yelling the secret out to the world. Realization that Caesar nearly reacted the same way Albert had didn't make the older brother feel any better either.

Their discussion lasted for nearly an hour as Albert didn't have to put much effort into explaining since Caesar caught on extremely fast. However, the older Silverberg felt a headache coming along with a slight burning on the back of his left palm. He brushed aside the discomfort, not wanting to give away the identity of the "unknown" Rune Bearer.

"You do realize that the Grasslands and Zexen might not agree with your plan, right?" Caesar asked, supporting his head with a hand as if he were bored. Of course, he wasn't disinterested at all, but he didn't want to look too eager.

"This is one of those rare occasions where I couldn't think of a backup plan," Albert responded. Caesar nearly sat up straight in surprise at his brother's out of character response. He expected a Plan B or at least a response that really didn't tell him anything, not an outright admittance that he couldn't come up with another plan. Albert, however, gave no notice of what he had said, only knowing that his mind burned furiously. He needed to end the discussion quickly so he could retreat into the solitary privacy of his room. The True Rune mercilessly lashed out at his mind, attempting to pull him out of his conscious state. For a second, Albert's vision went foggy, and he quickly fought back to regain control.

"Whether you convince the Firebringers or not, Harmonia will attack, under Lord Sasarai's leadership or another. In Harmonia, Lord Hikusaak's orders are absolute," he said irritably, making the younger brother jump. The pain tearing at his mind nearly became unbearable now, but Albert still fought against the True Rune's will, silently asking it for a few more seconds of control.

After a moment, Caesar sighed, "You give me no choice then. I'll go to Hugo and Chris tomorrow."

"I'm glad that it's settled. Now, I must excuse myself," Albert said quickly and nearly ran into his room. Caesar heard a soft thump behind the closed door a few moments later and cautiously knocked on the wooden door.

"Is everything all right?" he asked. Hearing nothing, he decided to let the matter go, not wanting to deal with Albert any more than he had to. Caesar retired into his own room to rest for the journey to the Grasslands tomorrow.

"He's getting weird," Caesar muttered to himself and then shrugged. "Oh well, I never understood him anyway. This is so complicated…"

--

Albert stumbled blindly to the sofa in his room as his vision darkened. He felt his muscles go limp and hoped that he had landed on the soft piece of furniture instead of the hard wooden floor. The soft fur that lightly tickled his nose suggested that he had landed on the large furry rug in front of the sofa. 'Good enough,' he thought groggily to himself.

_Albert felt his body sink into the earth and then rise into the sky, merging with the air. He felt himself flying through the clouds, the bright rays of the sun shining down from above. He opened a weary eye and realized that the winds left him in the ruins where Luc had last been seen, the same location where he received the True Wind Rune. Upon further inspection, Albert realized that his body was ethereal as if he were a spirit. A light began to glow from under his left glove and he removed it, revealing the symbol of burden. The Silverberg looked up again and saw Luc, his body just as foggy as Albert's. The apparition exactly duplicated the Luc Albert had known. The same empty eyes burned into his, and the same apathy radiated from his form._

"_The True Wind Rune is calling to you," Luc spoke, his voice sounding quite alive and solid despite his appearance. "It wants you to continue the mission it gave me."_

"_I will not destroy Harmonia," Albert responded. He wasn't particularly loyal to Harmonia, but if that nation were lost, he would have lost everything that he had obtained in his years as a strategist. Of course, he could have easily found a new post, but Harmonia was the most powerful and the oldest of all the nations in the present. It would mean many more years of hard work to build up another nation._

_Luc gave a small laugh. "Actually, my actions were merely one of the many paths I could've taken to finish my task. Although, I suppose that once the task is complete Harmonia will be more or less gone." _

"_Then what was the objective?"_

"_To kill Hikusaak…" Luc answered in a strange foreboding voice. Albert knew that he was talking to a very accurate manifestation of the Rune's memory of Luc, but he had to admit that the True Wind Rune was doing a pretty messy job in transitioning from Luc's persona to that of its own. Apparently, the Rune Luc had an airy voice that echoed somewhat in the space around them while Luc's voice was the same as he had remembered. "Hikusaak is a threat to the balance created by the True Runes. He intends to lead a world of Order."_

"_Then why are you the only one who seems to be acquainted with that information?" Albert directed this question to the Rune. "Why don't the other Rune Bearers do something?"_

_The Rune Luc smiled sadly. "The Wind can reach almost every corner of this world. It hears the darkest secrets and knows the answers to the most mysterious," he said. "If Hikusaak manages to complete his 'perfect world,' then Wind will be held in the chains of silence, unable to roam free as it should. I've already shown Hugo this world, but I doubt that he understands. Luc understood, but took the wrong path. Would you be the one who will end this madness, and let Wind go free?" _

"_Why should I help you? With your wisdom, you should know that the fall of Hikusaak means the fall of Harmonia. What made you think that someone like me, who is so thoroughly connected to Harmonia, would accept your mission?" Albert responded angrily. After all, he never asked for this responsibility. Albert supposed that he could let his emotions out to the Rune. It wasn't like he could hide his thoughts from it anyway._

"_Let Hikusaak carry out his plan and Harmonia will die alongside the world. Stop Hikusaak and the world will be safe while Harmonia, with proper leadership, may still be alive. You are now bound the True Wind Rune now, Albert Silverberg. This is payment in return for its powers."_

"_Did you tell Luc the same thing?" Albert asked him._

"_He understood the situation and was unusually eager."_

"_Then why didn't you choose someone who would understand the situation?"_

"_You were closest to Luc. You did in fact understand the situation but was unsure of Luc's decision on how to carry it out. I now give you the power to go about it in your own way. This is your chance to change. With my help, after Hikusaak falls, you can become the new ruler of Harmonia." He added the last sentence as another initiative since "saving the world" didn't seem to attract Albert as much._

_Albert sighed; the True Wind Rune had read him thoroughly enough. It had known all along that Albert hadn't been helping Luc just for the sake of betraying the magician after the tactician had advanced in rank. A small portion of Albert really did hope that Luc would be able to stop the world from falling into Order, but in the end, he wasn't willing to make the sacrifice. Albert smiled. "I guess I have no choice." He was faintly aware that his response to the True Wind Rune's request nearly mirrored that of his brother's agreeing with Albert's plan. "But I am not interested in ruling Harmonia, as you had assumed. I'm more of a behind the scenes kind of ruler."_

_The Rune Luc smiled. "Thank you, young Silverberg…"_ The scene disappeared, melting into whiteness, as a cold wooden floor along with an extra furry rug reemerged in Albert's vision as he opened his eyes.

Albert put a hand to his head; the headache had gone.

"Maybe I'll have to use Yuber after all…" he muttered.

* * *

Old Note: I should really be starting on my Biology AP homework… but I have to admit writing feels a lot more productive.

New Note: Wow, I've forgotten that the Biology homework was from last summer, not several months ago haha. We had quite a few packets… Anyway, thanks for reading!


	5. Prophecy

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

* * *

"Where is Albert?" Sasarai yelled, pulling at his reins violently and causing his white horse to neigh in pain. He was furious; the battle had started, and he couldn't find his strategist anywhere. Of course, no one was dying, but sooner or later an observer might be able to discern that the two forces weren't seriously attacking each other. Each swing of the sword stopped short of its target, each arrow sorely missed the flesh, and each soldier that fell died too dramatically. The battlefield almost resembled that of an ill-rehearsed play.

"Lord Sasarai, I haven't seen him since the first call to charge," Dios responded quietly.

"It should be about time for the signal to come, and we still don't know what the damn sign is! Wind? Ha! There's a slight breeze in the air right now!" Sasarai said sarcastically.

"My lord, please calm down. We cannot have you looking like this in front of the soldiers. Try to relax; I am sure that the sign will appear soon," Dios whispered. As if something out there had heard the two conversing, the land suddenly became silent, and the breeze that Sasarai detected dissipated before he cold throw another string of irritated words to his subordinate.

"Is that… the signal?" Sasarai lowered his voice to a whisper. Even the soldiers felt the change, and they all stopped their combat, looking around for any sign of the magician. A strong gale suddenly whipped through the battlefield, picking up debris and nearly hurtling the soldiers off their mounts. Both sides began to panic and run around the land in confusion. The skilled observer would have noticed the bodies on the floor suddenly getting up and running away from the wind.

"Retreat!" Sasarai yelled out to his soldiers, who willingly rode toward his voice. The strongest of the gale was concentrated in the middle of the battlefield, and Sasarai's location only housed a small wind, stronger than the previous breeze but considerably weaker than the gale.

"Look!" one of the soldiers yelled out. Sasarai and Dios followed his finger to a nearby hill and spotted a figure mounted on a white horse. A white cloak and hood covered its face and body, and it held its ungloved left hand out to the battlefield as if in a trance. The wind picked up speed, and suddenly the gale dissipated with a loud crack as the robed figure seemed to wobble on its horse, lowering his hand and grabbing onto the reins for support. Rocks, dirt, and leaves all fell with gravitational acceleration back to the land, their collisions with the ground muffled by the dust and patches of grass. Sasarai stole a glanced at the quiet battlefield before looking back at the figure, but it was already gone.

"Lord Sasarai, is that it, the enemy of Harmonia that we are trying to lure out?" one of the lieutenants asked, shaken but unharmed. A few of the soldiers had minor cuts from passing branches and rocks, but to Sasarai's surprise, there were no fatalities from both the battle and the gale.

"Yes," Sasarai answered. Before the battle, Albert had given Sasarai a speech to dictate to the soldiers in order to have them pretend to fight. Apparently, Sasarai had to outright tell the soldiers that they were trying to capture an "enemy of Harmonia" by drawing him out through the use of a fake war. "The enemy has shown his face! We must be extra careful from now on!" he yelled out to soldiers.

"I'm surprised that Albert was really able to find the bearer of the True Wind Rune," Dios whispered to Sasarai.

"To be truthful, I had doubt that he would even appear," Sasarai responded. "Where is Albert? It'll look suspicious if he is gone for too long…"

"Lord Albert!" someone towards the back of the mass of soldiers said. Sasarai looked up and saw his strategist riding towards him. He was going to scold the strategist for leaving, but upon closer inspection, he noticed that the Silverberg was covered in sweat and looked as if he was about to collapse. Sasarai and Dios followed him to the main tent and went inside, ordering several guards to keep everyone else away.

"Are you sure that this acquaintance of yours is on our side?" Sasarai asked. "That gale could've killed someone."

"He is inexperienced," Albert answered, gulping down a glass of water. "He promises that next time it would only look dangerous."

"Where were you then?"

"I was with my acquaintance; I had to tell him when to act."

"You were a little late."

"I apologize."

"Very well, you may retire to your quarters. I don't want my strategist getting sick on the job."

"Thank you." Albert slowly got up and left the tent, wiping away some of the sweat from his forehead.

"That's odd, I never knew he was so bad at riding a horse," Dios commented. Again, he had refrained from speaking during the meeting although Sasarai seemed to be getting better at checking his anger.

"I don't think that was the reason for his condition," Sasarai answered. "There's something strange going on…" The success of the battle had warmed him up a little to Albert, but he still wasn't prepared to forgive the strategist. However, if anything, Sasarai now suspected the strategist of keeping secrets of the latter's health. Despite this, the Bishop did not rule out the possibility of future betrayal. For now, he decided to just wait and watch.

--

Albert entered his tent and threw off his scarf and jacket, breathing heavily. He collapsed onto the bed and felt the room spinning away.

"_Albert!" a familiar voice called him. Caesar and Albert both stood in the middle of a strange dark void, and the younger nervously glanced at the dark abyss that surrounded them while the older calmly looked around for something tangible and identifiable. Suddenly, the air behind Caesar began warping into what looked like portal, completely hidden from the view of the young strategist. Albert noticed it first, but before he could react, the shadow engulfed his brother, and both melted back into the unidentifiable darkness. Luc appeared in front of the space where Caesar had disappeared as Albert attempted to go inside the hidden door._

"_What did you do with him?" Albert demanded. Luc silently pointed at Albert. Confused, the strategist turned around and saw the gleam of metal…_

_The dream shifted and Albert found himself in a forest clearing with Luc staring at him in confusion. "What just happened?" he asked. _

"_I sense danger from someone close," Luc said. _

"_You must be careful when controlling Wind; it does not like to be told what to do," Rune Luc spoke, diverting the conversation away from the previous dream._

"_Yes, I figured that out, or did you just knock me out to tell me that?"_

"_I did not cause your untimely slumber."_

"_You used a bit more magic that you usually did with that last feat," Luc's voice came back to explain. "I'd suggest continuously manipulating the wind around you so your body could get used to utilizing magic."_

"_Okay, but please, stop trying to take away my consciousness when you want to tell me something."_

"_I was serious when I said I was not responsible this time…" the airy voice returned._

_"I sense someone! It's the one you must..." Luc began, cutting off the Rune Luc. However, yet another force cut Luc off..._

"Dreaming again?" a voice woke Albert from his dream. "Or, is the Rune speaking to you?"

"Yuber!" Albert sent a blast of wind towards the demon, who jumped aside nimbly, laughing.

"I guess you're not the type of person to get up early in the morning," he joked.

"Why are you here?" Albert demanded. "It's not even morning!" he added as an afterthought.

"The first battle has already been fought and not a single soul went to the afterlife. What's going on? I thought you were attacking the Grasslands!" Yuber demanded back.

"Hide," Albert ordered him as Sasarai's voice called him.

"May I come in?" the bishop asked.

"Yes," Albert answered as soon as he made sure that Yuber was well hidden under the bed.

"Was there someone else here?" Sasarai asked, glancing about the room. He sighed and decided that it was probably his imagination. After all, he couldn't help but suspect the strategist every time he laid his eyes on him. He lowered his voice, "I've just been informed that Hikusaak has sent three spies to the Grasslanders. Apparently your brother sent a notice to me that they've killed three of his and has been impersonating them for some time."

"You received a message addressed to me?" Albert asked, annoyed. He thought of how right he was to have not told Caesar about the True Wind Rune being his. After all, that was the biggest secret.

"The messenger just relayed the message to me when he heard that you were not well. He seemed to be in a rush," Sasarai responded defensively.

Albert sighed. "Has Caesar done anything with the Harmonian spies?"

"Not yet, he said it's a delicate situation because the spies have already sent word back to Harmonia."

"Okay… I'll have someone take care of it."

"I trust you, Albert," Sasarai muttered before leaving. Albert watched him leave, pondering Sasarai's parting words. Okay, so he had Sasarai's trust again. The strategist wondered if the successful initial battle really had that significant of an impact on the Bishop's view of his subordinate.

"He trusts you again. How amusing," Yuber distracted him from his thinking.

"This is the opportunity you've wanted," Albert said, ignoring him. "Go and get rid of the three Harmonian spies."

"What? They're from Harmonia."

"Didn't you hear? Three Grasslanders have also been killed. We'll give word that the first three killed were the spies, while the spies were actually Grasslanders attempting to send false information back to Harmonia in the guise of spies."

"Confusing, but I'm glad for the job," Yuber answered. He laughed as he disappeared into the night, ready to spill blood on his two thin swords.

* * *

Old Note: On the next chapter… good question… I haven't thought of it yet…

New Note: Thanks for reading!


	6. Lifeless

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

* * *

_Sasarai studied his surroundings calmly, knowing that dreams usually "borrowed" from places he had been. He finally recognized it as the altar where Luc had planned to destroy the True Wind Rune before his death. However, the huge stone structure still stood intact, untouched by the True Wind Rune. Even now Sasarai stared at the structure in awe and wondered how so massive a relic could've been buried for long until Luc unearthed it and how fast it toppled through the power of the True Runes._

"_Brother…" a voice made the Bishop turn around to face the deceased former True Wind Rune bearer._

"_Luc… you're here…" Sasarai said. He doubted that Luc would say anything new. After all, this was his memory, and he didn't know much about the disciple of Leknaat. Also, unfortunately, what little memory Sasarai had of Luc was mostly hostile. Despite Sasarai's initial misgivings, Luc's attire and appearance caught him off guard although he knew that his brother stood in front him. This Luc looked exactly the same as Sasarai, and he wore a light green tabard on top of white garments instead of the dark green outfit and short hair Sasarai had seen him with. He suddenly wondered if this Luc came from sometime during the Dunan Unification War._

"_We must be very close, or else I would not have been able to enter your dreams," Luc said, smiling. _

"_What do you mean?" Sasarai asked, confused. 'Well, I was not expecting this…' he thought._

"_I am the memory of Luc left in the True Wind Rune," he answered._

"_So, that means that the True Wind Rune is close by," Sasarai concluded, "and that you are not my brother."_

"_I am not," Luc confirmed. "However, I am the remaining proof that Luc existed. He may be forgotten with time, but I alone have to power to keep him eternal."_

_Sasarai chuckled, "As with all True Runes… So why did you decide to pay me a visit?"_

"_I have a request," Luc said simply._

"_Which is?"_

"_Prevent the world that Hikusaak desires from becoming reality," came the blunt reply._

"_That is not within my power," Sasarai muttered. "I am his tool…"_

_Luc closed his eyes as if recalling a distant memory. "You forget, I was also a tool, brother."_

"_You had Leknaat."_

"_No, I had defiance," Luc said firmly, opening his eyes. "I defied the fate given to me, and I nearly defeated Hikusaak. However, I was too weak."_

"_You tried to destroy everything!" Sasarai accused._

_Luc smiled sadly, "That was why I was weak. I knew I would be defeated. My anger wouldn't let me choose any other path. My heart wouldn't allow me to carry out the final ceremony, and I chose death instead. I'd say it worked out pretty well. The bearer of the True Fire Rune has seen Hikusaak's world, and Hikusaak has lost sight of the True Wind Rune. For now, at least…"_

_Sasarai said nothing and instead sighed and looked away into the clear sky. _

"_I see that your senses are becoming more acute towards nature."_

"_I want to escape," Sasarai admitted._

"_Be careful what you wish for," Luc told the Bishop as Sasarai's surrounds began melting away as he came back into reality from his slumber._

--

Sasarai gazed across the empty field that housed the battle the day before. The dream had disoriented him; he now knew that the True Wind Rune was extremely close, and he didn't know if he was willing to carry out the Rune's request. It meant going against everything that he was, against Harmonia. Sasarai knew in his heart that Hikusaak and Harmonia were one. If one were to fall, the other would follow. He took a deep breath, and instead of morning dew, unsettled dust entered his lungs. Choking, the Bishop coughed slightly to dislodge the dust particles from his throat.

"Lord Sasarai, you should be getting some rest," Dios said behind him.

"In a few minutes," he assured his subordinate. The two stood in silence as Sasarai continued to look across the field. "You know, I was hoping that my brother was the secret True Wind Rune bearer who helped us out." He laughed softly, "I guess I'm pretty pathetic, huh? Hoping that my brother would come back, just so I won't be alone..."

"You are not alone, Lord Sasarai," Dios assured him.

"Oh yeah, you weren't there when Luc took my True Earth Rune," Sasarai muttered. "I keep on forgetting." He fell silent for a while before continuing, "Sometimes I wish that I was free as the Wind, but I'm just Earth, bound to the ground… bound to the destiny Harmonia has chosen for me. To think... he told me to be careful of what I wish for. I wish to be him..."

"My lord…"

"Excuse me, Dios… I haven't been myself lately. I had a disturbing dream."

"I am concerned about your health, sir. Thoughts like these will not do well for you in the long run."

Sasarai smiled sadly, "You forget Dios, I do not age…"

Dios inwardly sighed. He knew that he had probably made the situation worse by trying to fix it, and he now sought a distraction to bring Sasarai's mind away from the Bishop's depressing thoughts. "You know, Albert hasn't left his tent since the conclusion of yesterday's battle." His method worked.

"What?" Sasarai spun around, surprised. "It's already afternoon." In thought, he put a hand to his chin. "This isn't like Albert. Something has to be wrong."

"Maybe he caught a cold?" Dios suggested.

"He didn't seem sick, just tired."

"Was this part of your observation when you relayed his message to him last night?"

"Yeah… this really isn't like him. Albert's not so clumsy that he'll allow himself to get sick."

--

_That night, in Albert's tent..._

'Why did I dream about Caesar?' Albert thought, lying on his bed in case he passed out again. He had nearly regained all of his strength since the performance during the last battle, but he wasn't going to take any chances. He had slept the entire day away, only waking for meals whenever one of the soldiers would call out from outside his tent. He closed his eyes, willing for sleep to take him once again. He had to be in top shape for the second battle tomorrow. All he could hear were the crickets chirping, the occasional soldier walking, and the winds blowing, caressing the leaves softly…

"_You came back," Luc greeted him. They were back in the forest clearing from before. Albert took in the air; it was cold and healed his aching body._

"_Are you going to disturb my every dream?" Albert asked, annoyed. "Why did I dream about my brother last time?" he demanded._

_Luc shook his head. "I do not know."_

_Albert sighed, knowing that he'll probably never get the answer from the Rune. Before he could ask if he could sleep normally for once, the Rune Luc spoke, its voice bouncing around him as usual. "It's time that you saw what Hikusaak desires for this world." _

"_Hikusaak's perfect world of Order?" Luc nodded as the space around them began warping. Luc himself melted into the blurred colors of trees and sky as everything became black and white. When it settled, Albert found himself in a black and white world with no sound save for his own breathing. He recognized the place as Harmonia's main castle._

"_Is anyone there?" he called out. No sound answered him. No motion indicated that something had noticed him. He shuddered. This empty world was lifeless. Suddenly, a blob of black and white flesh came from behind a pillar and sped towards him. Albert sent a blast of wind in its direction, sending it flying slightly in the opposite direction. However, the foe recovered its misbalance and flew towards the Rune Bearer again._

"_Try focusing the wind into thin strip. Wield it as if it were as sharp as a blade," a voice told Albert. He obliged and sent a single wind blade through the meat ball, slicing it in half. It shuddered as if giving a silent shriek and dematerialized. The black and white world warped back to the previous forest clearing._

"_What was that?" Albert gasped. _

"_A meat ball," Luc answered calmly. _

"_What?"_

"_It is a manifestation of the living in Hikusaak's world. You see, humans are imperfect beings. They will be turned into that state when total Order is achieved. A sphere of nothingness… of human flesh and blood… It actually wouldn't have hurt you at all. It only went towards you because it sensed your living soul," the airy voice told him, interruptiong Luc's attempt at a joke. _

_Albert felt sick. He had a feeling that a world of total Order would be boring, but never realized that everything would be more or less eliminated or warped into "perfect" spherical forms._

"_My brother is calling you…" Luc interrupted his thoughts and the clearing spun away…_

"Albert!" The strategist sat up with a jolt to Sasarai's voice. He slipped on his gloves just as Sasarai came through the tent flap. "Caesar's sent us another message; the three spies are dead. Apparently they were killed last night shortly after his messenger came back from speaking with us."

"Okay, all we have to do now is send this letter back to Harmonia," Albert said, giving Sasarai a letter he had written last night after Yuber left. "It says inside that we caught and killed three Grasslanders posing as Harmonian spies."

"So you're suggesting making them think that their own spies were the original three killed?"

"Yes."

"Very well." Sasarai took the letter and proceeded outside to deliver it.

Albert gave a sigh of relief. 'That was close…' he thought, looking at his gloved hand.

* * *

To closedofHeart: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! (Insert happy face here) Actually, I do most of my thinking when I'm writing, so I end up staring at the screen for a while before I start typing. Adding humor and exploring other characters' points of views sound like pretty good strategies too: less time consuming. Thanks again for reading!

Old Note: Okay, this chapter is a bit short. (It's the shortest of all the ones I've written so far.) I was going to add a second part to it when I realized that the two didn't really fit into the same chapter. So, now this chapter's up super early and the next chapter will contain whatever I was going to add. Goodbye for now!

New Note: Thank you for reading!


	7. Order's Anger

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

* * *

The soldiers shifted uncomfortably in their lines, clanking their lances against their horses' armor by accident and causing the animals to neigh in discomfort. Although no one had been killed during the last battle, they felt as if this one would prove to be less fortunate. It seemed to an observer that a foreboding aura washed over the entire Harmonian army as they readied themselves for another artificial clash with the Grasslander militia and Zexen knights.

Of course, the soldiers didn't fear death from an accidental swing of the sword. Instead, they cowered in the thought of the unknown. The True Runes represented the unknown; they granted eternal life and endless strength. Only when confronted with another True Rune did the bearer sometimes faltered if he was weak. This realization pierced the hearts of the bravest. They could barely bear the thought of fighting a force out of their world, their mortality. They were just mere puppets used to lure out the True Wind Rune, replaceable bait. Such realizations of their own irrelevance drove some of them to tremble with feelings of anger and guilt. Then suddenly, they would think of their home, Harmonia, and all negative thoughts would wash away. They were here because they were needed; Harmonia needed them.

"Charge!" Sasarai ordered and the army descended from the hill, shaking the earth with thousands of metal horseshoes. He turned around just in time to see his strategist directing his horse away from the battle towards the trees.

"Albert, I'd like you to stay to oversee this battle," Sasarai said as small group of Harmonian knights informed of the situation surrounded the strategist. "It's easier if you give your signal from here."

"Lord Sasarai, I must object…" Albert began, but the bishop cut him off.

"Your acquaintance should know when to act without you directing him. After all, you trust him, do you not?" The other gave no answer, but started looking towards the battlefield as if he were hatching an alternative plan in his mind. Sasarai sighed; he had to catch Albert now if the strategist was planning another betrayal. "My True Earth Rune…" he began, causing the strategist to look back at him, "detects something coming from the East. It moves silently, but each step leaves a heavy imprint in the dust as if it moves in anger. Do you know what this is? After all, our 'enemy' appears from the East, does he not?"

"He was to appear in the West this time," Albert answered, searching for any sign of the supposed threat in the Wind. Suddenly, the headache returned, this time tearing through his skull as if someone had physically hit him over the head with the hilt of one the soldier's heavy swords. He flinched, trying to suppress any outward sign of discomfort. However, Sasarai regarded the flinching as nervousness.

"Nevertheless, I think it is sufficient for now for you to remain here unless it becomes clear that your acquaintance is unable to act with your…" The air around them began to escalate widely due to Albert's headache, and to make matters worse, a huge roar from the East broke off his sentence and all heads turned to the distant forest. A white robed figure stood in a clearing, outlined by the horizon. "I see that I was correct in my assumption that he does not need direction," Sasarai commented.

The sky began to darken and throw a gray twilight about the land, covering the armies in an unearthly light. The space behind the robed figure warped into a massive hole, seemingly sucking the air in silently.

"What is that?" Sasarai gasped. "What is he doing?"

"That's not…" Albert began, but another deafening roar covered whatever he was going to say. A ripping noise escalated out of the hole and a mass of monsters began pouring out of the portal, shrieking and waving a combination of claws and crudely made weapons.

The bishop and his strategist watched in both amazement and horror as the monster army began descending towards the three armies. The closest monster raised its ax and as if in slow motion, brought it down upon the skull of the nearest Harmonian soldier. It took another series of seconds and deaths before the armies recovered their confusion and began retaliating against the horde, greatly outnumbered. The fighting soldiers in the distance scattered like a pile of ants running for shelter from a human's foot.

Sasarai turned back to Albert in a rage "You betrayed us again! Who are you working for? Tell me!" he yelled.

"I don't know what's going on; you have to understand," Albert responded, now panicking. The True Wind Rune was yelling in his head to attack the robed figure, and the headache threatened to cause another bout of unconsciousness.

"Liar!" Sasarai accused. "I will end your treachery here!" The Rune Bearer raised his hand and one of his rings began glowing, strengthening his spell. The Harmonian soldiers surrounding Albert moved away from him in a hurry, leaving the strategist to face the spell alone.

Just as Sasarai was about to finish chanting, Dios yelled, "Lord Sasarai, behind you!" The bishop turned in time to see the massive claws of a skeletal panther descending, about to slice into his shoulder. Sasarai braced himself for the fatal impact but instead felt two blasts of wind pass him from both sides, colliding with the monster. The panther seemed to stop in midair and then crumpled many pieces, dust instead of blood spraying in all directions.

Sasarai turned around to see Albert holding his left hand towards him, breathing heavily.

"Albert, you…" Sasarai said in surprise as the other Rune Bearer removed his left glove, revealing the True Wind Rune.

"Hikusaak is coming…" Albert gasped. "He knows…Ah!" The headache doubled, and he finally submitted, falling to his knees and clutching his head.

"_This is Hikusaak's doing!" Luc said._

"_Hurry, use the spell!" the other voice echoed…_

Albert finally managed to concentrate long enough to mouth out the spell that the True Wind Rune dictated to him. A wind picked up around him, and Albert felt as the headache subsided as the Wind forced the earlier spell from him, soothing his mind. Shaking, Albert pulled himself to his feet, allowing the wind to blow around him as a barrier to any possible new spells.

"Albert…" Sasarai began, in shock.

"I'll explain to you later, we have to get our armies out of here," Albert said, having regained his composure. It was now that Sasarai truly appreciated Albert's abilities as a strategist to act calmly and decisively during battle. "I'll need your help," he added.

"Of… of course," Sasarai stuttered, at a loss for words.

"Retreat!" Sasarai called out to the army. "Head towards the Grasslands!" The Harmonian soldiers willingly obliged, turning their mounts and racing in a disorganized mass away from the growing monster horde. The other armies seemed to receive the same orders and the Grasslanders and Zexen knights began withdrawing.

Albert and Sasarai rode out to the retreating armies, facing the oncoming enemy. The soldiers on all three sides were riding blindly in the direction of the Grasslands. Some of them collided with one another and dismounted from the impact. Others were trampled and killed by their own instead of the monsters. However, the monsters themselves caused the most destruction of all, ripping, biting, and slashing flesh and bone.

"Are you ready?" Sasarai asked. Albert nodded, and both of the Rune Bearers began casting. The ground under the monsters crumbled away into a deep trench, engulfing the immediate front lines of the enemy. A wind pushed the horde back, sending some of the lighter monsters flying through the air back into the portal.

"_You have betrayed me!"_ an unearthly voice yelled in Albert's consciousness. For a moment, he thought it was Sasarai that spoke, but the other Rune Bearer was concentrating on his spell. His previous barrier blew away, and Albert felt his strength fading, although he knew that it wasn't due to prolonged use of his Rune this time. Hikusaak had torn his barrier clean apart. The roar of the wind and the shaking earth faded until a strange silence accompanied the less than silent scene. Slowly, the edges of Albert's vision began darkening. He stole a glance in Sasarai's directing and saw the bishop fall off his horse, apparently afflicted with the same symptoms.

'No! I must… stay awake…' Albert thought desperately, willing the wind to continue its onslaught.

"_This evil world of chaos shall fall, and order shall rule!" _Albert slipped off his horse as unconsciousness took him. Around them, chaos ensued…

* * *

Old Note: Hello! Thank you for reading this far! The super fast updating might be a little slower now because school's going to start soon… but I did 2/5 of my Biology AP homework ha ha… I think I can procrastinate a little bit more every now and then… oops, no one saw that…

New Note: Biology AP rules! Actually, I liked Chemistry AP more. Thanks for reading!


	8. Traitor

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

* * *

"_That was… unexpected…" Luc said. This time, they were at the Tablet of Stars in the middle of the night. The tiny balls of fire in the sky twinkled softly, adding to the pale light of the moon and filling the area with an unearthly glow. _

"_Am I dead?" Albert, irritated that something had gone awry with the plans, asked him. The fact that Hikusaak himself had appeared didn't make him feel any better. _

"_No, or else you wouldn't be able to speak to me like this. Those who have passed only live on as memories inside the True Runes, like me."_

"_Great…" Albert muttered. "Would you mind telling me what happened then?"_

"_Hikusaak must have learned the spells needed to call monsters from the Demon Realm. I can't imagine how he managed to achieve such a power though…"_

"_Can't his True Rune perform that kind of magic?"_

"_No… his Circle Rune is one of order. It won't willingly create such disorder on its own. Unless… he was aided by another True Rune…" Luc said, putting a hand to his chin as if in thought._

"_You mean…" Albert began, but the stone tablet and Luc melted away…_

"Albert! You're awake!" Caesar's face entered his immediate vision. The older brother gave a groan and attempted to sit up, only to be met with a pain in his side. Despite Caesar's protests, Albert managed to achieve a sitting position. "You shouldn't move around so much, I think the fall broke several ribs. Lady Chris should be arriving tomorrow to heal you two up."

"What happened?" Albert asked, gasping as the pain doubled every second he stayed in his current position.

Caesar ignored his brother's question and instead went on with his previous subject. "I ordered Chris and Hugo to stay away during the war since Harmonia is after their Runes. I never expect that I'd have to call them here."

"Caesar and Beechum rode out and took us away before the enemy reached us," Sasarai's voice answered before the older strategist had a chance to demand an answer to his question. Apparently, the Bishop was also sitting in a bed a few feet away.

Albert looked at his brother in surprise. He never expected such courage from his lazy sibling.

Caesar looked the other way, muttering, "I didn't do that much…"

"Thank you," Albert interrupted before Caesar could continue.

The younger brother blushed slightly at the acknowledgement and muttered quickly, "It was nothing…" He regained his normal expression after a bit of trouble and tried to steer the conversation away to strategy. Apparently, he was still uncomfortable at being to close to his brother; that ended many years ago when they took their separate ways in studying strategy.

"How did Hikusaak find out about the artificial war? I thought you had the spy situation covered," Caesar began.

'So Sasarai had told him about Hikusaak… I wonder if he knows about the True Wind Rune too…' Albert thought. However, before he could answer, a foreboding aura seemed to enshroud the tent. To his dismay, his headache from before returned, adding to the pain in his side.

"It was me," Yuber said, coming out of the shadows. "Feeling a little karma, eh?" Albert was speechless, and the other two watched the Demon, ready to act. "You see, I was expecting a little more blood from this war. It obviously doesn't have the potential to produce such beautiful results. Therefore, I went to Hikusaak _after_ I killed his own three spies and told him that you two were the ones who orchestrated everything. I'm actually quite pleased with the results. After all, he did help me open that portal."

"So the one on the hilltop was you?" Sasarai asked calmly.

"Oh no, that was Hikusaak. I was with his army…"

"Just tell us why you're here," Albert interrupted. The pain was excruciating, but his anger had quickly covered up most of it.

"Oh, I just wanted to inform you of how much easier it is to get to Hikusaak though working with him. I should've just followed your example of betrayal from the beginning." Yuber laughed. "You see, it's very hard to see him; I actually relayed the message to his advisors. It's like he doesn't exist. The battle was the first time that I laid my eyes on him, but he just had to be mysterious and wear a hood and cloak instead of all the official garments he could've chosen from. I could've killed him then, but I think I'll wait to see what other interesting things he can do with this war."

"That's sick…" Caesar spat

Yuber grinned and raised his index finger, shaking it disapprovingly. "You think that is sick? Wait until you see what Hikusaak has in store for this world. Then you'll realize what is truly sick. Then again, I'm sure my good friend Albert here would tell you everything."

"Albert?" Sasarai looked at his strategist.

"Oh, I thought you knew, Lord Sasarai. Then again, I don't see why the original had to remind the copy of his purpose"

"Shut up!" Sasarai yelled at him.

"Oh dear… It seems as if all of the Rune bearers are beginning to lose control. It doesn't matter; the more the merrier."

Yuber disappeared laughing as a blast of wind cut through the spot where he stood. "You should learn how to control that anger. After all, it's no different for you," his voice echoed around the tent.

"Albert?" Caesar gasped, staring at the back of his brother's left hand.

"Damn…" Albert gasped, sweating. The pain overtook him, and he collapsed on the bed, unconscious.

"Since when did he…" Caesar began and then stopped. "It must have been when Luc died…"

"The True Runes contain so much power… but each is a great burden to its host," Sasarai explained softly as Caesar looked at his brother, who was still breathing heavily in pain during his slumber. "It's as if you have two minds in one body constantly fighting for control. We are fortunate that the True Runes do not seek total control; rather, they only constantly push their objectives at the mind."

"It must be irritating," Caesar muttered.

Sasarai laughed bitterly. "I've gotten used to it. The first thing I remember from my childhood was the priests training me to control it. After all, it was my destiny to bear the True Earth Rune, decided from the very beginning by Harmonia."

"Well, now you can go and show them what you've learned," Caesar said. Sasarai looked at him, surprised. "Hey, just because those high and mighty Harmonian guys were the ones who made you doesn't mean they can tell you what to do. Here's your chance to go back and show them you're not going to let yourself get kicked around just because you were created. After all, we're all the same; we're all alive."

"Life…" Sasarai muttered.

"… is the one thing that's truly yours," Caesar finished for him. "Use it the way you want to, not the way they want. Look at me! I didn't follow the great Leon Silverberg."

"Nice try, but I've heard that your methods somewhat follow the great Mathiu Silverberg, your uncle," Sasarai laughed and then lied down, closing his eyes. "However, I suppose you might be right…"

* * *

Old Note: Hello! Actually, this was written a day ago, but I was too sleepy to revise it. Thanks again for reading!

New Note: Thanks for reading!


	9. Sasarai

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Note: I've done some somewhat heavy editing/augmentation on all previous chapters. The plot is still about the same, but I recommend rereading for a little extra plot. Also, at the end of the chapters up until this chapter, the "Old Notes" were the original author's notes written in 2007. The "New Notes" (which are very lame right now, sorry) were done during editing. Thanks for understanding!

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_"Hello again," Luc said, the same expressionless face still plastered on his form. Sasarai noticed that his brother was sitting on one of the white stone walls of the now familiar ceremonial ground the former host of the True Wind Rune had perished at. The True Rune had decided to keep Luc's former appearance, so once again, Sasarai found him face to face with a near reflection of himself in green instead of Harmonian blue._

_Sasarai smiled. "And again we meet... I should've known that it was because of Albert that I could see you like this."_

_Luc moved his head to the side in a display of interest. "You seem a little different this time. Was it because of Hikusaak?"_

_The Bishop contemplated this question silently and, with the same content smile still on his face, answered, "Yes... I think… that I'm okay now… I've accepted the fact that I was created."_

_"Was my host's brother that convincing?"_

_"Surprisingly… That soft-hearted strategist has a great mind hidden away." Sasarai looked at the sky, which was cloudy and the wind in the air suggested a coming storm. _

_"Do you not like the atmosphere?" Luc asked._

_"It's not that... I was just wondering if the True Wind Rune talks like that..."_

_"Through the sky and the clouds?"_

_"Yes."_

_Luc hopped off his wall and straightened himself before looking Sasarai in the eyes. "Do you want to hear your rune speak?" The other nodded a "yes." Luc took his brother's hand and slowly brought it to the grass. "It speaks through the earth. Can you hear it?"_

_Sasarai closed his eyes. The ocean appeared before him, rough and dark, green and gray, waves crashing below the cliff on which he stood. In the distance, foreboding clouds spurt out flecks of lightning, some that streaked across the sky and some that seemed to hit the tumbling sea. Further still, he detected a strange light radiating from the horizon and realized that it was a line of fire, burning on the sea. However, unlike a normal fire, this display issued no smoke and instead danced along the horizon, illuminating the dark clouds. A strong wind whipped across the water and across his face, blowing his hair about. He heard a voice, echoing off the ground beneath his feet, soft but powerful. 'Little one bound to me through destiny. Join the others chained to nature, and Order shall not be able to overcome you.' _

_"Did you hear it?" Luc asked when Sasarai opened his eyes and stood up._

_"It wants me to join with the other four True Runes in the area..."_

"_Hm… I figured as much…"_

"_Do all of you have the same objective?"_

"_We do not speak of what we want. It will be revealed in time…" He looked to the sky like his brother before. The wind blew softly, almost mournfully. "Maybe not even in your lifetime…" Luc whispered._

_Sasarai sighed. "I should've known." Luc seemed tormented by something although his expression changed in only the slightest._

"_There's something else I've been meaning to tell you. I did not make as much as an effort to imitate Luc to Albert as I did to you. I just suddenly felt like this is something you should know." Luc looked at him seriously, and it was now that Sasarai finally accepted the fact that the Luc that stood before him was not his brother. His eyes were far too empty and void of emotion. His brother had had the same type of expression, but it was usually followed by anger or a crazed expression. This Luc was… empty… a mere projection made by the True Wind Rune based on its memories of its previous host. Sasarai was alone in the world again; his brother would never be there because he had perished in the Second Firebringer War._

_The realization of the obvious hit the Bishop hard, and he suddenly fell to his knees, his face in his hands. "I'm sorry…" he choked out in a hoarse whisper._

_Luc smiled sadly. "There is nothing to apologize for. If anything, I should be the one to apologize. I had originally assumed this form because I thought that it would increase my chances of convincing you to join my cause. However… there was another reason… His memories won't let go. I've never had a host whose memories who tried to take action." When Sasarai did not move from his position on the floor, the True Wind Rune added, "Don't worry, the real Luc is content. He's probably with that magician somewhere in the stars by now."_

_Sasarai looked up at him, the traces of tears still glistening on his face. Luc offered his "brother" a hand. "Please, Luc would be unhappy with me if he found out I used his form and made you lose your mind." Sasarai slowly took his hand, and Luc helped him to his feet. He hastily wiped the remaining tears from his face and eyes._

"_I apologize; I don't know what came over me…" Sasarai muttered, looking away._

_The True Wind Rune, however, knew exactly what Sasarai was thinking from that display. He asked, "Do you feel alone?" No reply came. "Luc always felt like he was alone. He thought that he had to bear the fate of the world by himself, and he resented it with all his life. It wasn't until his final moments that he realized the error in his assumptions." _

"_How…" Sasarai began. _

"_They're all around you," Luc interrupted. "They might not be like that magician, but they're still there. Your subjects, your friends, your country…" _

"_My country…"_

"_I may not be human, but Luc was. Even now, his memory within me wants to make amends. He really doesn't want anyone to go through the same torture he did, especially his brother."_

"_I can't imagine…"_

"_That kid had a really strange way of showing the world how kind he was."_

"_I don't disagree with that," Sasarai said, smiling. The wind began picking up speed and threw some stray leaves and dust into the air. The clouds parted slightly, and a ray of sunlight exploded from the crack onto the ceremonial ground, illuminating the white stone._

"_Well… I'm off…" _

_-- _

_Hikusaak… I will no longer follow the destiny you have given me… I will no longer wield the True Earth Rune to wage war on the other True Runes so that I can tame them for you… I will no longer be blind to the voice of the Earth that calls to me… but… I will not abandon Harmonia… I will free it from your grasp…_

--

Sasarai awoke to the sensation of numbness on his side where he had fallen earlier.

"Please don't move yet; I'm almost done," a familiar female voice told him.

"Lady Chris, it's an honor to be able to meet you again," Sasarai told her. She smiled, and the numbness disappeared, leaving him with sudden brief state of contentment at the fact his body no longer ached.

"I'll go heal your strategist now, we'll discuss the war later," Chris told him.

"Wait, has anything happened while I was asleep?" Sasarai asked as Chris moved to Albert's side of the tent.

"No, I think Hikusaak is waiting for something…" another familiar voice answered.

"Geddoe?" Sasarai gasped in surprise.

"Someone was passing a rumor around that Hikusaak has shown his face. I just thought that I'll come to see what's going on," he responded. "It looks like I came in time."

"… and Hugo?"

"He's outside with the Grasslander army and Caesar right now."

"I see…"

"So all five are here…"

"This is it… Hikusaak has finally moved."

_Finally… Wait for me… I will be the one destined to stop you… Father…_

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Note: Thanks for reading! I have to go to class now! If you don't already know, the magician that the Rune Luc referred to was Sarah. XD


	10. Dragons

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

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"The Harmonian army…" were the first words that came out of Albert's mouth as he woke.

"I'm one step ahead of you," Caesar responded, coming into the tent with Hugo and Dios. The other True Rune Bearers turned their attention to the two of the Grasslander Army. Caesar had earlier chosen the roomiest tent for Sasarai and Albert, and the temporary room comfortably held the seven people currently in it with room to spare. Albert noticed that Sasarai had gotten up and was currently walking around to test his legs. Geddoe stood in the corner, leaning against a piece of furniture while Chris was sitting on a chair next to older Silverberg, apparently having just finished healing with the True Water Rune. Now Caesar walked across the room and deposited himself on a chair, sitting on it backwards so that he could face Albert.

Albert made to stand up, but Chris told him, "You can sit up for now, but I think you should wait a little before walking around."

"Yeah, I would have been familiar with the floor, if not for Geddoe," Sasarai said. Albert took their advice and instead brought himself to a sitting position on the bed.

"Yeah…" Caesar began. "Hugo, Dios, and I talked to your army for you because you were both kind of out of it."

"What was their response?" Sasarai asked.

"Our soldiers were sympathetic with the situation and agreed to follow the Flame Champion, if Lord Sasarai would allow," Dios told him.

"Why me… I lied to them…" Sasarai, surprised, began.

"It is easier to follow one who travels with them to their battles than one who attacks them. Think about it, if they were to follow Hikusaak, they would have to go back to him to claim ignorance and beg for forgiveness," Albert explained to him and then turned his gaze to the three who had walked in last. "I'm certain that you three did quite the explaining in order for them to listen so willingly. Like Lord Sasarai said, we did lie about the purpose of the war to begin with."

Caesar laughed. "Well, we basically told them its five True Runes versus one." His brother raised an eyebrow so the younger hastily added, "... and we also told them that the original plan was to protect Harmonia because if another war were to occur, Harmonia would be left open."

"Hikusaak's True Rune is different from ours," Sasarai told Caesar. "Ours are bound by the forces of nature. I do not know what the Circle Rune is fully capable of. That army of Hikusaak… it had no soldiers except for himself until he opened the portal."

"Well, it can't be that bad right?" Caesar said, resting his head on his hand and his elbow on the back of the wooden chair.

"Hikusaak used the Circle Rune to create Harmonia, to capture both the True Wind and the True Earth Runes, and to create my brother and me," Sasarai continued. "Take that into account."

"Lord Sasarai…" Dios began.

"It's okay," Sasarai cut him off. "I'm okay now…"

"… Not to mention he kind of summoned that portal to the Demon Realm…" Caesar added thoughtfully despite his initial display of confidence. "We might be in a bit of trouble…"

Hugo, who had been silently listening to the conversation up till now, said, "We can do it. Like Caesar said, we have five True Runes compared to Hikusaak's one!" His enthusiasm faded when the others looked at him grimly.

"Hugo, when I was healing some of the soldiers who were critically hurt on my way here… a few of them told me that half of the Harmonian army is unaccounted for since the last battle," Chris said after the others didn't respond.

"Huh? There were a lot of them outside though… and we only suffered minor casualties…" Hugo responded.

"Well, we were fighting on the West side, so our army took most of the impact from the onslaught," Dios said. Sasarai sank into the chair, unable to stand.

"You noticed and didn't tell me?" Caesar exclaimed.

"I didn't want it to affect your words to the three armies," he replied. "I apologize."

"So that's why they didn't want to go back to Hikusaak…" Caesar muttered. "I should've known… I do remember not seeing anything but demons fighting for Hikusaak… oh, and there was this guy in black… that must have been Yuber."

"I can't imagine…" Sasarai muttered.

"Well, sitting here won't help us," Albert finally spoke, getting off the bed. Chris moved to catch him in case he fell, but he showed no sign of disorientation. "Do you know how long it will take Hikusaak to get here?"

"I sent my team to investigate," Geddoe told him. "They should be back sometime tonight."

"Fair enough, until then we should try to organize our men. Lady Chris…" Albert turned to the leader of the Zexens. "Will you attend to the injured until the evening?"

"Oh, of course," she replied and hastily left the tent.

"Well," Caesar rose, grabbing Hugo around the neck with his arm.

"Hey!" Hugo protested.

"We'll go talk with some of the Grasslander leaders to see if they want to come to tonight's meeting. Catch you guys later!" He left the tent, half dragging a struggling Hugo with him. Geddoe nodded to the remaining three and also left.

Now that everyone had left, Albert and Dios directed their attention to Sasarai, who was staring blankly at the floor.

"You should go and talk to them," Albert told him. "They aren't looking for a leader who would abandon them after one lost battle."

"Lord Albert!" Dios said disapprovingly.

"You're right, Albert. I will go and talk to them now," Sasarai said, rising. The two remaining in the tent looked at each other briefly and then followed their leader out.

--

Leknaat stood at her window, a hand on the stone framing the opening to the outside of her massive tower. A light wind went through the tower and the seer raised a hand to the air as if to feel the breeze. She closed her hand slowly and brought it down back to its original position on the window sill.

"Hikusaak… what have you done?"

--

"They should be here any minute," Geddoe confirmed as the others shifted uncomfortably. They had set up a huge table with a detailed map of the Grasslands inside of the large tents from the Harmonian army.

"The sun has already gone! How much longer do we have to wait?" hissed Dupa impatiently. Along with him, the leaders of the other four other Grasslander tribes, Salome, Caesar, Dios, and the five Rune Bearers were attendance. As if something were answering Dupa's question, the group suddenly heard people yelling outside and a Harmonian soldier bolted into the tent.

"Excuse for my intrusion, but I think Sir Geddoe's companions need Lady Chris's immediate attention!" he gasped. Chris hurried out with him, leaving the others in a silent shock. Before they recovered enough to follow, Ace stumbled into the tent. He had a few injuries here and there but was otherwise not in critical condition. The mercenary collapsed into a chair offered to him, muttering a few curses from the pain caused by the action.

"Sorry Geddoe… One of them surprised us," Ace said, breathing hard. "We barely managed to get away. You wouldn't believe what we saw…"

"One?" Dupa growled. "How could you be defeated by one?"

"Hey, you try fighting a giant killer dragon-thing! We would've died if Futch and Sharon hadn't arrived! Hikusaak has some nasty stuff up his sleeves."

"Futch is here?" Caesar asked.

"Yeah, I'm here…" the dragon-rider responded, entering the tent. "Bright is resting, and Sharon's helping the others," he told Ace, who nodded. "They'll be fine."

"Did you at least kill the 'giant killer dragon-thing'?" Dupa asked, emphasizing the phrase he copied from Ace sarcastically. Ace shook his head. "What? It was… how many people are in your group again… four plus three against one!"

"It was Black…" Futch muttered.

"So what if it was a black dragon?" Dupa responded. "How does the color determine how strong a foe is? If the Lizard Clan were there…"

"No, it was Black, Futch's first dragon," Sasarai cut in. Dupa stopped, and the room turned to Futch and Ace.

"How many dragons does he have?" Hugo asked. "I mean, I know Bright's pretty strong…"

"Luckily for us, Hikusaak only has control of Black, but," Futch looked away, "I… I don't know how to put it…"

"How many soldiers did you guys lose during the last battle?" Ace asked.

"About half," Hugo replied. "For the Harmonians anyway…"

"That's sounds about right…"

"Well? Just spill it!" Sasarai, sweat dripping down the side of his face from anticipation of bad news, said.

"Black died about twenty years ago. Seeing him here now only means that Hikusaak somehow resurrected him." The others did not speak but continued to stare at him, waiting for more of an explanation. "Look! I know it was Black, even if it was only a skeletal dragon… Hikusaak must have been able to control his corpse… like he did to all the soldiers that died several days ago…"

"Our soldiers… were reanimated?" Sasarai gasped.

"If we add that to the limitless amount of demons Hikusaak is able to summon, then we're in trouble…" Caesar muttered.

"When will they be here?" Albert spoke for the first time since Ace came in.

"Tomorrow…"

"Then we have no choice but to hold them off until we can move our soldiers to a more suitable location."

"Suitable?" Ace asked. "How is anywhere suitable with that many things to fight against?"

"We're currently on a plain; it will be better if we fought in a more sheltered area where only one of our sides was exposed."

"So we'll have to retreat deeper into the Grasslands…" Caesar commented to himself. "Who's going to hold them off? The whole army wouldn't be able to move at once. There are too many people…"

"We can use the True Earth Rune to open up the ground and then the True Fire Rune to fill it with flames. That will keep most of the ground units from crossing. Wind and Lightning can keep the flying ones at bay, at least for a while," Albert said.

"What about Lady Chris?" Salome asked.

"We still have many injured; we'll need her to attend to them for now."

"How do you plan on escaping?" Dupa asked. "Some of us have to stay and help you!"

"No, our objective is to get the entire army to safer grounds. You and the Lizard Clan can remain in the back to fight off any that crosses our line of defense if you wish, but I insist that you keep at moving at all times," Albert told him.

"Very well…" Dupa grumbled.

"If the rest of you agree with the plan…" Albert said, annoyed that no one had spoken up against it. To be truthful, he didn't really know what to do because he had never encountered an army of such overwhelming power like that of Hikusaak's.

"I have no objections," Sasarai said, crossing his arms.

"Then I will go along with it also," Dios agreed with his superior. The others nodded in consent.

_What have we gotten ourselves into?_

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Note: Thanks for reading! Writing fanfiction beats doing homework any day! Now I must stop procrastinating and do my pile of homework…


	11. Left Behind

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

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Geddoe rushed out of the tent after the meeting with Ace and Futch to check up on his comrades. Behind them, Sasarai and Dios went around issuing the order to begin preparations for departure while the others hurried to their respective armies to begin the chaotic procedure of retreating. Tents were dismantled, fires were lit to light the way, and horses were woken to begin transporting the injured.

Chris gave them the sign to keep silent when they came charging into the room. The four were sleeping peacefully on the beds and seemed to have no fatal injuries. Aila sat quietly in the corner, her eyes red with crying while Sharon tried to counsel her with whispers. Chris motioned for everyone to go outside, and the five followed her out.

"They'll be fine after some rest. There were quite a few burns and wounds; I healed those, but they've lost a lot of blood," Chris told them.

"It's my fault they got hurt…" Aila muttered; her voice still cracked from previous excessive crying. "The dragon… just came out of nowhere and started breathing fire on us… then I froze and Queen pushed me out of the way…"

"Stop thinking that way!" Sharon yelled at her. "That dragon was… it was not a dragon…"

"No it wasn't… Black would never do that," Futch confirmed quietly.

Geddoe listened to others silently. He was relieved that the others were okay but felt the same as Aila: guilty. He began to wonder if he should have gone with them instead of stayed with the camp to check on the condition of the two Rune Bearers.

"So how did the meeting go?" Chris's voice broke him out of his reverie.

"Albert wants you to continue healing the soldiers for now. We're retreating deeper into the Grasslands where there's less open space surrounding us," he told her.

"Aila and Sharon told me about Hikusaak's armies… there's no way we'll get everyone out by tomorrow morning."

"That's why the rest of the Rune Bearers will stay behind to slow Hikusaak down."

"That's a great risk… what if Hikusaak captures you?" Chris sighed. "I'm not going with you guys, am I? I have to stay here with the injured."

"It's best for at least one of us to stay behind just in case something unexpected happens."

"I hope that will not be the case… how are you going to escape?" The two fell silent.

"Hey Geddoe?" Aila broke the stillness. "I'll make sure that the others get out, so don't worry about them okay? I promise… this time… I will definitely…"

Geddoe smiled, "I'll be counting on you then."

"Maybe Bright can help move…" Futch joined the conversation. Chris excused herself and left them, heading for the Zexen part of the camp…

--

"Lady Chris!"

Chris turned around at the calling of her name to see Borus running towards her. After catching his breath, the Swordsman of Rage continued, "Lady Chris! I heard that you were to come with us!"

"Borus… I don't think I can do that."

"I knew it…" he muttered, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. He had been so relieved that his captain was not staying behind.

"I'm also the bearer of a True Rune. As of now, those four are planning to die defending the armies."

"As we are prepared to die defending you," Salome said, approaching the two. "Please Lady Chris… Lord Albert's decision was solely based on strategy, not honor. It wasn't because you were female that he decided to leave you out of it. The True Water Rune has to power to keep our armies alive if anything were to happen to the others."

"… But still…" Chris began.

"Shouldn't we let the Silver Maiden decide for herself what is best?" Percival cut in before Salome was able to speak. "After all, we're seen the True Water Rune used as an attack rune before, and it worked pretty well."

"Percival…"

"We cannot risk losing all five True Runes!" Salome yelled at him.

"We can't let Lady Chris go with the others because we won't be able to protect her!" Borus joined in.

"Well…" Percival began.

"It's fine," Chris said before the two could continue yelling at the knight from Iksay. "I'll go with the armies. Please ignore what I said earlier." She hurried away from the three and they watched her go, not knowing what to say. Hesitating for a second, Percival ran off after her, and Borus was about to do the same when Salome stopped him.

"It's better if only one of us talks to her," Salome said.

"He wants her to stay behind!" Borus yelled at him.

The strategist shook his head. "No he doesn't."

"How do you know?"

"Believe me, I know… Percival of all people would want her to go with us. He cares for her as much as you do…"

"I don't know what you're implying," Borus denied as a blush made its way onto his face. "We all care about the safety of our captain! It's only natural for us to not want her in harm's way."

"The question is: how far are you willing to protect Lady Chris?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I'll protect her with my life! We've all pledged to protect her with our lives!"

"The hardest part of war is finding out how to protect someone…"

"You're being strange…"

Salome sighed. "Excuse me, perhaps I am… Now let's attend to our army…" He started to leave.

"Hey! You still haven't explained your question to me!" Borus yelled, running after him.

--

"You know, we really don't want you to fight Hikusaak with the other four," Percival said when the two of them were away from the others. "I mean, we don't know what we'll do if you got killed."

Chris let out a deep breath, trying to calm her emotions. "Percival… back there… why didn't you just outright tell me to not stay behind?"

"Well, I was trying to consider all possibilities."

"What do you want me to do?" Chris asked him, emphasizing the "you."

"I want you to come with us, but if it'll become something you'll regret for the rest of your life, I'd rather you stay behind."

"Indecisive, aren't you?" Chris asked, smiling.

"Hey, there's more to protecting someone besides just trying to keep them from getting killed."

"Yeah… I guess that's true…"

"However, if you do stay behind and get yourself killed, I'd be pissed."

Chris sighed, looking at her feet sadly. "I just don't know what I should do, Percival. If one of them should die… and I was not there to help…"

Percival gently raised his captain's face up with a hand under her chin. "Have a little more faith in the others. They're just as devoted to their duties as you are." Before Chris could respond or act, Percival dropped his hand and started walking back to the bustling camp. "Now let's help the others move; you can think about it when the time comes."

"That might be too late…" Chris whispered to herself but followed him anyway.

--

The younger of the two Silverberg brothers made his way through the many tents with the starlight and campfires to guide his way. Around him, the soldiers hurriedly took apart tents, packed belongings, and attended the still injured, readying themselves to leave the current camp. The young strategist finally reached an area between a few still assembled tents inhabited by the one person he was searching for the past dozen minutes.

"Ah, I knew I saw you earlier," Caesar said, causing the magician to turn around. "Viki, it's been a while."

"Caesar! I remember you!" she replied energetically. "Now if I can just remember when I met you…"

The strategist raised an eyebrow. "When I said a while, I didn't mean several years…" He decided not to press the matter and instead continued with what he was here to say. "Anyways, you came just at the right time. I have a request. Are you up to it?"

"I'll see what I can do to help you."

"Excellent! Okay now, it involves your Blinking Rune…"

* * *

Note: Okay, the Viki here probably teleported to some other time and spent a while there before coming back to the current storyline. I wonder if she'll ever get home… and I can't help it, but I'm starting to focus on other characters besides Albert and Sasarai and Caesar and… they're all so worth writing about! Sigh… the more the merrier? Haha, anyways, thank you for reading!


	12. Protect and Burn

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

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"They're here…" Sasarai said, standing up from his crouching position and lifting his palm from the ground. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves before he raised his hand and began chanting the spell while the ring on his finger started to glow.

"You have an escape plan right?" Hugo asked Albert nervously.

"Yeah, ride away when the time comes," the Silverberg replied. Sasarai almost messed up his spell after hearing those words come from his strategist. They had brought three of the fastest and most well trained mounts from the Harmonian army and one from the Grasslanders since Hugo was not used to riding Harmonian horses.

"Um… nice plan…" Hugo muttered, absentmindedly giving his mount a pat on the head.

Sasarai finished the spell, and the ground split open with a loud crack, revealing a deep chasm in the earth. Just then, an unearthly moan erupted from the horizon, making the Rune Bearers look up from the opened earth. A line of soldiers dressed in Harmonian attire stumbled over the hill, moving at a slow but steady pace. Upon closer inspection, one could see that their eyes were hollow, their skin gray, and their mouths open in a silent endless scream of agony from their last moments as ones who were once alive.

"Are those really the Harmonian soldiers from before?" Hugo asked.

"Yes…" Sasarai responded. A figure in a white robe appeared behind the undead army and like before, opened a portal in the air with a wave of its hand. The once clear blue sky ripped open, revealing a dark abyss much like the one Sasarai had made on the ground. However, this endless chasm echoed with the voices of many vile creatures ready to devour any they come upon.

With a wordless command, the robed figure motioned for the army to charge. The undead soldiers quickened their funeral-like march to a run, some of them stumbling from the lack of balance due to lost limbs, and shadows began pouring out of the rift in the sky like water drifting off a cliff in a fast moving river. Somewhere in the distance, the deafening roar of a dragon echoed across the sky.

Just as the first of Hikusaak's army leapt across the canyon, the crevice burst into flames and a wall of fire consumed whatever that continued running into it. A strong wind blew the fire towards the oncoming army, and lightning struck whatever flying creatures managed to cross the canyon.

_Chaos…_

--

"Do you think they'll hold out long enough?" Borus asked Percival as the two looked into the distance where a bright fire burned and lightning flashed across a cloudless sky.

"I can't tell… but Salome made it sound as if they were doomed."

Borus put a finger to his lips nervously, "Don't say that out loud or else Lady Chris might change her mind!"

"You worry too much," his friend said cheerfully.

"I do not!" Borus retorted.

"Sure, I believe you," his friend joked.

After a few minutes of riding, Borus continued the conversation. "What did you say to Lady Chris to get her to come with us?"

"I told her to trust the other Rune Bearers. Although… if one of them were to die, I don't think Lady Chris would be in her best state of mind. That is why I was trying to make you and Salome consider the other situation! Alas…"

"It's too late to consider that. Like you said, we have to trust them! They already look like they're winning!" Borus cut in defensively.

"I suppose… but against someone like Hikusaak, anything can happen from what I've seen so far. It's only been a few minutes after all."

"Are you being a hypocrite or something?" Borus asked him, obviously annoyed at his friend.

"No, I was merely trying to get Lady Chris to come with us. Now that it's done, I feel even more uneasy than before, knowing that this is probably not what she wants most."

"Oh…" Borus, now uncomfortable with the conversation, replied.

Percival looked into the distance as if pondering something. 'There's more to protecting someone besides just trying to keep them from getting killed,' he quoted himself in his mind. A wind blew across his face from behind as if it were a sign from the True Runes.

Making a decision, Percival suddenly turned his horse around, and told Borus, "I've suddenly recalled that I've forgotten something of utmost importance back at the camp. Don't wait for me; I'll catch up with you guys later." Before Borus could respond, the Swordsman of Gale was riding full speed back to where the camp was. The Swordsman of Rage inwardly cursed at his own delayed response. Once Percival started riding, Borus knew that he could not catch his friend. After all, Percival was the best rider of the Zexen Knights.

"What are you up to?" Borus mumbled to himself. "You'd better not get yourself killed…"

--

'This is actually working pretty well,' Hugo thought as he continued to keep the flames burning. As if fate had heard him, the unearthly roar from before came again, and the much-talked-about skeletal dragon broke through the flames with one mighty flap of its wings. The powerful wind that erupted from its body through the movement it made extinguished half of the flames in the process and nearly knocked Hugo off his feet.

"Retreat!" Albert yelled out, breaking away from his spell and jumping on his horse. The others followed suit and soon the four were riding at full speed away from the army that now pursued them. What remained of the undead army and a fresh wave of demons leapt across the now unprotected crevice, screeching for blood as they chased after the four that had been holding them back.

After a few seconds of hoping that he rode fast enough away from the enemy, Hugo stole a glance at the pursuing army behind him before realizing that Viki was now riding in back of him.

"Go!" the magician, gathering enough courage, yelled and suddenly everyone disappeared from Hugo's sight. It took the flame champion a full second to realize that Viki had failed to teleport him.

'Oh crap,' Hugo thought as he prompted his mount to move faster. He was starting to gain distance away from the enemy army, but the dragon circled above him almost lazily. It was then that he realized that there was a black rider on the skeletal undead beast.

Yuber jumped off the dragon towards Hugo on the ground, readying his swords. Just as he was about to swing a lethal blow at the Karayan's back, another sword blocked his attack.

Snarling, Yuber threw his second sword at Hugo's horse, causing it to crash on the floor and sending its rider with it. He then lunged at the newcomer, who dodged nimbly and knocked him away from the bearer of the True Fire Rune. Percival then grabbed and hoisted Hugo onto the front of his own horse and quickly rode away.

"You're not getting away that easily!" Yuber snarled as he jumped on top of the dragon once again. Once he got close enough, he lunged, a maniacal smile plastered on his face. This time, Percival wasn't fast enough to dodge the attack and the powerful thrust from Yuber's sword sent the blade through the Zexen knight's armor, shattering the metal protecting his right side. Laughing, Yuber pulled his sword out and a burst of blood splattered from the wound.

"Ugh," Percival gasped as Hugo turned around and sent a stream of flames at the demon, engulfing Yuber in flames. Screaming, the demon fell to the floor, trying to quell the flames. Percival continued to ride, struggling to stay conscious despite the huge amount of blood flowing freely from his wound. Meanwhile, the dragon continued to circle them from above.

"Hey Hugo…" Percival gasped. "Can you try to surround us with smoke?"

"I'll do my best." Hugo took a breath and then sent another wave of flames into the dry grass where smoke would most easily be created. The method work and a huge plume of smoke went up into the air, obscuring both the view of the riders and the dragon.

"I'll take care of the rest," Percival assured him, and led his horse across the land nearly effortlessly, having ridden across it a few minutes ago on his way to the Rune Bearers. Behind them, the screams of the demon and roar of the dragon echoed throughout the plains while the fire burned uncheck among the dry grass and the small pools of blood left behind by one of the riders…

--

Chris looked behind her at the smoke filled sky as she followed the Zexen army.

_Percival?_

* * *

Note: No!! The long weekend is over! I'm so sad… Now it's back to writing between classes! I guess that's okay, at least I get to write ha ha! I hope I won't get too much homework… blah I probably will. Anyways, thank you again for reading!


	13. Silver Knights

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

* * *

"At this pace, we'll make it to our destination by tonight," Salome told Chris and the other Zexen knights as they rode.

"Will the others be able to catch up?" Leo asked. "They're pretty far behind right now…"

"Actually, I've just talked with Lord Caesar. He said he's taken care of their travel arrangements," Salome replied. "Of course, he didn't tell me what he had planned. I had assumed that the horses that the four took with them were their means of escape. During the last battle, most of us escaped on our horses, so I think they'll be fine."

"Lady Chris, is something wrong?" Louis asked, being one of the two who noticed Chris's inattentiveness during the conversation.

"Oh, no… it's nothing," she replied, forcing a smile.

"Where's Percival?" Roland suddenly asked. The others looked at him questioningly.

"Percival? I thought he was riding in the back somewhere," Leo said doubtfully.

"Shouldn't he have caught up with us by now then? The six of us are already here…" Louis said to himself.

"No, he can't have…" Borus muttered and turned his horse around.

"Where are you going?" Leo called after him. Before Borus could reply, a loud bang made everyone turn their heads and stop their horses as a small cloud of dust exploded in the middle of the group.

"I can't believe that worked!" the knights heard Viki's ecstatic voice through the dust, along with coughing.

"Are you guys all there?" Caesar yelled, riding to them. A small gust of wind cleared the dust, revealing three of the Rune Bearers still on their horses and the one magician. "Oh no…" he gasped, taking in the scene. "Hugo! Where's Hugo?"

"I was certain that I got him too!" Viki yelled, panicking.

After clearing his throat of the remaining dust with a final cough, Sasarai added, "Viki was on Hugo's horse when she casted the spell."

"Then he must be back at the fields," Geddoe said, obviously shaken by the fact that they had accidentally left one of their own behind.

"Viki, is it?" Albert asked the magician, who nodded. "Are you able to teleport back to where Hugo is?"

"I… I can't!" she stuttered. "I don't even know where he is now!"

"That's true, we were being chased by the dragon before you teleported us out…" Sasarai muttered.

"Hugo…" Caesar said, frozen with horror. He had failed, failed his one job as a strategist: to protect the one he worked for.

Albert looked at his brother for a moment and then at the equally distressed magician before making up his mind and yelling, "Keep moving! Don't stop or else Hikusaak will catch up before we reach our destination!" The soldiers who had stopped earlier began to move again, wishing that they had not heard what had just transpired.

"Let's go, Lord Sasarai," Dios, who had arrived at the scene, said. The Bishop gave Caesar a last dejected look before tearing his eyes away from the strategist.

"Please allow me to take you on my horse," Sasarai said to Viki, who was also watching Caesar and Albert with hopeful eyes. "You've done enough. There's nothing more you can do by staying here."

"Okay…" Viki said sadly and hopped onto Sasarai's mount. They then followed Dios along with the rest of the army.

"Let's go, there's nothing more we can do," Albert told his brother.

"Yeah…" Caesar muttered and followed his brother away from where the Rune Bearers and Viki had landed.

Chris, who had been watching the entire scene along with Salome, Roland, Louis, Leo, and Borus, suddenly turned her horse around while the other six surrounded her, preventing her from going back.

"Forgive me, but you heard them, Lady Chris. There's nothing we can do," Salome told her. "We'll be in a worse state if you went back and were captured." Chris looked as if she about to object, but then looked away and turned her horse back around, galloping away from her knights and towards the others.

Salome sighed. "This is one of those things that cannot be foreseen nor avoided."

"Lady Chris…" Borus muttered his breath.

"I wouldn't advise you to go back now, Borus," Salome told the Swordsman of Rage. "However, just what do you know of Percival's whereabouts? I haven't seen him at all."

Borus looked away. "He rode back to the camp. He said he forgot something, and that he'll catch up with us later."

"You let him go back?" Louis gasped. "He's a fast rider though; why isn't he back yet?"

"I don't know!" Borus responded louder than he wanted to. "I'm sorry," he muttered when he saw Louis and the others jump. "I… I have a bad feeling about this."

"There's nothing we can do. We should get going. Perhaps Percival accidentally rode past us," Salome said. The others nodded uncertainly. "Let's go."

--

"Lady Chris?" Louis called to her uncertainly outside her tent. "May I come in?" Upon hearing no answer, he entered quietly. Chris was absentmindedly staring at one of the cloth walls of the tent while seated at the wooden table. A tray of food lay untouched in front of her. The squire wondered if he should relay the message from Salome to the captain after seeing her in this state.

"Um…" Louis began. "Lord Salome wanted me to tell you… we haven't seen Lord Percival anywhere."

"I know," Chris said airily.

"Maybe he's somewhere in the camp!" Louis went on, trying to sound hopeful for the sake of his captain. "I mean, there are so many soldiers; Percival must have gotten mixed up somewhere and doesn't know where we are!"

"So you haven't searched all three armies yet?" Chris asked.

Louis sighed. "Actually, we have… Lady Chris, we just don't know where he is. Maybe he got a little lost since he was riding in the back."

The Silver Maiden turned her head and looked at Louis for the first time since the boy came in. "Louis, why did Borus try to ride back after Roland mentioned that Percival was missing?"

"I… I don't know," he stuttered. 'Uh oh, Lord Salome's going to kill me…' he thought nervously.

"It's okay, you can tell me," Chris said, staring intently at him.

Louis's defenses broke down. "Lord Borus said that Lord Percival went back to camp to get something important!"

"He what?" Chris gasped.

"He went back to the camp…" the squire repeated.

"No…" she muttered, shocked. Louis instantly regretted that he had told his captain the truth. Thoughts of possible lies cascaded through his mind, and he inwardly sobbed at his captain's grief. If only he had said something else, even if it was a lie.

Voices from outside the tent made the two look apprehensively at the entrance flap of the tent.

"Lady Chris!" one of the soldiers yelled as he ran into the tent. "Pardon my intrusion, but a few of the scouts have spotted something outside."

"I'm coming," Chris said, getting up decisively. Whenever her duties came, it was if all her emotions were swept aside with a determined hand, locked in a chest for later use. Louis followed her out the tent, anxiously wondering who approached them. Was it Hikusaak?

The army had settled at the Ceremonial Site where Luc once attempted to destroy one of the True Runes. Of course, the land now looked like a disheveled pile of stone instead of the grand five pillared structure they had seen a while back. The many cliffs and tunnels made the area an excellent place for a battle with the added bonus that it was far enough from any of the Grassland villages. It was night now, and the moon illuminated the white stones, making them glow with ghostly light as if those who have fallen in the final battle of the Second Firebringer War were calling to the ones who now took shelter in the ruins.

"Over there!" The soldier motioned to the horizon. A horse and whatever strange creature that rode on it stumbled over the last hill towards the camp. It treaded slowly as if exhausted, and its load wobbled, looking like it was about to tumble off its mount.

"Hang in there!" they heard a familiar voice whisper. The clouds in the night sky shifted and suddenly the moonlight revealed all.

"Percival!" Chris yelled as she ran to the horse and its two riders. Hugo was struggling to keep the Swordsman of Gale from falling off the horse, which proved to be a hard feat since the other was both heavier than him and sat behind him.

"Hurry!" the Flame Champion urged the others who ran towards them. Borus and Leo, who had arrived first at the site, followed by several others, helped Hugo carry Percival off the horse. It was then everyone saw the full extent of the damage. Blood covered the side of the animal, and Hugo looked as if he jumped into a pool of the sticky red liquid. The strong metal that covered the knight's left side had been shattered, and what little that was left of the lose pieces had flowed away with the lost blood.

"We'll have to remove his armor before we can heal him," Sasarai said, following them.

"Bring him to one of the tents!" Salome said to the two knights. Chris followed alongside Borus and Leo, constantly checking to see if her fallen friend was still breathing.

"Chris…" she heard a strained voice call her name.

"You shouldn't talk right now," she told him.

He coughed, blood slowly dripping from the corner of his mouth down his chin. He then smiled, "Like I said, have a little faith…"

It was then the Silver Maiden lost her composure, and a silent tear trickled down her cheek…

* * *

Note: No!! I have to go to class again! Why?? Sigh… I can write later… Percival! Don't you die! By the way, thanks for reading!


	14. The Experienced

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

* * *

Roland slowly removed his comrade's armor as carefully and quickly as his elfin grace would allow him to while Borus and Leo held Percival in a sitting position. Despite the archer's efforts, the other knight let out a groan as the weight was lifted from his wound. The three then carefully collaborated to peel off the shirt Percival had on underneath his armor in order to expose the wound so the Chris could close it. The Silver Maiden would have done it herself if she hadn't been shaking uncontrollably.

When the shirt was finally off, Chris moved and attempted to begin the healing spell but stuttered and tried to pull herself together. She couldn't concentrate. The guilt that she had felt outside washed over her, and she felt her eyes begin to burn again. She had failed, failed to make sure that her subordinates were all accounted for. She hadn't even known that she left one behind. A hand rested on hers, signaling her to stop.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of him," Sasarai told Chris. She nodded and moved over while Sasarai raised his left hand and began casting. Percival's wound started glowing and slowly closed, stopping the flow of blood from the inside to outside. The others looked on in amazement at the healing spell coming from one who they thought could only fight and shield.

"This is the farthest I can go. We'll just have to wait now," Sasarai said when he finished. Although the wound didn't look as perfect as one healed by the True Water Rune, the bleeding had stopped and the openings had mostly been sealed.

"How are you able to heal with magic?" Roland asked. "I thought that the True Earth Rune was a protection rune, but it does not heal."

Sasarai looked at the back of his left hand. "I have been taught magic as far back as I can remember. What you just witnessed was the power of a rare Flowing Rune. Its effectiveness dulls in comparison with the True Water Rune, but it can still heal well to a certain extent." He nodded to Chris, "Well Lady Chris, I shall retire for the night. When you feel ready, you can complete the healing process on his wound. I've taken care of the immediate danger, but I fear that he would experience some pain if he should wake anytime soon."

"Thank you," she muttered and Sasarai left.

--

"Hugo!" Caesar gave the Flame Champion a big hug, not noticing the fact that blood and sweat covered the latter. "I don't believe it! You're alive!" He tightened his grip, believing that if he let go, he'd wake from a dream, and Hugo would still be somewhere back in the burning plains.

"Caesar, it's okay. I'm really here," Hugo said, laughing weakly.

Caesar finally let go of him and realized that the blood on Hugo had stained the front of the tactician's shirt. "Whoa, where did all this come from?"

Hugo looked at his feet to avoid his tactician's gaze. "One of the Zexen knight's saved me."

"Oh, where is he now?" Caesar asked, noticing the dejected tone in Hugo's voice. "Is he…"

"He was still alive when they took him to the tents. Chris is with them right now. I heard her call him Percival when she saw him."

"The Swordsman of Gale… I've heard that he was best rider out of the six. Could Chris have sent him after you guys since she didn't know that I had asked Viki?"

Hugo shook his head. "No, he said it was his choice to go back."

"I see… so he's at the tents right now…"

"Sasarai and Chris are with him," Hugo replied. He sighed wearily, "It's my fault… I wasn't strong enough."

"I disagree," Caesar told him. "If I had not sent Viki, then the four of you may have been able to fight off whatever attacked you. I didn't consider the scenario where Viki would fail to teleport someone."

"If it helps, I was attacked by Yuber," Hugo said.

"Oh, he's a different story…" Caesar watched as Hugo sighed again. "Hey, you should wash up and rest for now. I'll tell you if anything comes up with Percival."

"Thanks…" Hugo replied.

Caesar watched as his leader walked away, exhaustion radiating from his form. He inwardly cursed at himself for not trying to make Hugo go rest immediately after returning. The strategist had just been too relieved.

"So everything worked out," a familiar voice said behind Caesar.

Caesar sighed. "I was lucky again," he told his brother.

"Was it luck that you immediately thought of asking Viki to help us escape when you saw her last night among the soldiers? I have to thank you again for my life."

Caesar turned to face his brother. "Oh come on, I'm sure you would've thought of something better. You knew that I would think of something, didn't you?"

"I was counting on you to come up with a backup plan. I admit, escaping on horses was a bit primitive," Albert admitted.

"That's strange, coming from you."

The older Silverberg closed his eyes. "One part of strategy is understanding your limitations as a strategist. You are only in possession of one view no matter how many minds your own is worth."

"Well how many minds do you think mine is worth?" Caesar asked, trying to keep a straight face.

Albert smiled, "At least several thousand."

Caesar frowned. "That makes no sense. I admit, I'm a genius," he said smugly, "but no one can be that much of a genius."

"I meant that in another sense."

"Huh?"

"You keep several thousand alive through your strategies so I think that it s adequate to consider your own mind to be worth the amount of lives it keeps from dying."

"Oh…" Caesar scratched his head in thought. "If you mean it that way…" before he could continue, Albert waved a casual goodbye, indicating that he was going to retire for the night. "Sly one, aren't you," Caesar called after him.

--

Chris sat beside Percival's sleeping form, dejected at her inability to heal during the most crucial moment. She had finished fixing the wound after everyone left and she had calmed; there were no traces of it on his chest, but like the Twelfth Unit, the loss of blood left him in a temporary state of unconsciousness. The opening of the entrance flap made the Silver Maiden look up.

"Hey!" Caesar greeted her. "How is he?"

"He'll survive," she told him, feeling a pang of guilt from not being the one who initially took care of Percival's wounds. She added, "Sasarai had to use his Flowing Rune."

Caesar nodded in understanding. He immediately knew that Chris had not been able to heal her friend due to shock and that Sasarai had taken care of Percival first. The young strategist sighed and threw himself on a free chair, apparently tired from the day's events. After all, the moon had already traveled half its trip across the sky for the night.

"You know," he began after a while, "I've heard that the True Runes work depending on two factors: emotion and control." Chris looked at him. "If you have too much emotion in one direction, you cannot control it. If you have too much emotion in some other direction, it'll probably be powerful enough to destroy a city. If you have complete control and no emotion, then you'll have no trouble with it except you might not be able to access the full extent of its power."

Chris looked away, not completely willing to accept the strategist's consoling. "Is that so…" she said.

Caesar shrugged. "Who knows? I'm not a Rune Bearer." The Silver Maiden looked at him, now annoyed at his indifference. Before she could say anything, Caesar continued. "I heard that Sasarai trained since he was very young, so he's already quite adept at magic even without the True Earth Rune. Therefore, it's completely normal for Sasarai to be able to effortlessly use the power of his True Rune while some of the others cannot, since they just kind of got it within the last year." Caesar suddenly remembered and added, "Except for Geddoe, but that's beside my point…"

Chris sighed. "Look, I know you're trying to help, but it doesn't change the fact that I was unable to act when it mattered the most."

"Let me ask you something," Caesar began. "Have you ever fought someone when you were angry? It's harder to hit them, time their swings, dodge their attacks, etc… I'd probably just try to swing my sword at full force over his head, except I can't fight." He yawned and stretched his arms before continuing, "The power is there, but it was not concentrated, not utilized to its fullest extent… I think that's what happened with your True Rune. Sasarai probably understood that and that's why he followed you guys when you carried Percival in here."

"He knew?" Chris gasped.

"Why else would the great Bishop of Harmonia go with a bunch of Zexen knights who had the best healer of the entire army with them?"

"Oh…" Chris muttered. "So he was expecting me to break down…"

"Well, he is older than you, so he's most likely seen more." He emphasized the "is."

"He's older than me?" she blurted out in surprise.

"IS 444," Caesar said, grinning. He got up to leave. "Well, now that I know that Percival's going to live, I should go and tell Hugo. He was worried sick, but I mercilessly forced him to go rest."

Chris let out a chuckle. "Okay." Caesar gave a casual backward wave and headed for the opening flap. "Oh, and Caesar?" Chris said, making the strategist turn around.

"Huh?" he asked.

She smiled, "Thank you… and Salome is as old as Sasarai."

Caesar grinned again. "No problem, and thanks for the information. I could use it…" he joked. The flap closed behind him.

* * *

Note: Hello again! I should stop staying up until 1 o'clock in the morning writing… I'm dead tired right now ha ha! BTW it's morning… I remember back then when I had trouble coughing up one thousand words per chapter or story… I'd just sit there and daydream! And… class is starting soon again… sigh… Well, thanks again for reading!


	15. Chaotic Tactics

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

* * *

"Caesar! Wake up!" a voice called to him. The strategist grumbled and rolled the other way on his make-shift bed in the tent. "Caesar!"

"I'm awake!" the red head yelled, suddenly sitting up. He almost fell back down from the wave of dizziness that followed his quick ascension. "Give me a few more minutes…" he mumbled as he succumbed to temptation, lying back down on the mattress.

Hugo sighed. He wondered how Apple had woken Caesar up every day when she was still traveling with the young Silverberg. An idea suddenly hit him. "Fire!" he yelled into the tent and Caesar ran out in a few seconds later, looking for the "threat." Instead, he found the Flame Champion doubled over in laughter outside.

"Smart," the strategist admitted. "Remind me to not fall for that again."

"It's one of the oldest tricks in the book," Hugo laughed.

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Okay okay! I'm up now," Caesar said, yawning. "What's up?"

"The others are meeting to discuss our next strategy. I'd rather not go back and tell them that I failed to wake my own strategist up."

Caesar laughed. "Okay fine. I'm coming then. How can you guys wake up so early?"

"You just wake up late."

"I was up late," he retorted.

"Sure…"

--

"Our main objective is to get to Hikusaak. Once he falls, the rest of his army will go with him," Albert began the meeting. "Now, we know that he has control of the undead army, the demons, a dragon, and Yuber."

"In other words, we are sorely outnumbered," Caesar sighed dramatically. "So that's why we'll just have to focus on what we can handle. From the looks of it, normal soldiers may not be able to fight the dragon, and Yuber… who knows who can fight him."

"Just what is Yuber?" Chris suddenly asked.

"Oh yeah… you've never fought him before…" Caesar commented, thinking. "From what I've gathered, he's this invincible demon guy with two different colored eyes that fights with twin swords. Oh, and he wears black and has long braided golden hair."

"Um… okay…" Chris said, sounding unsure.

"I've fought him before," Geddoe told the group. "However, I was certain that I stabbed him through the heart during our last battle when I retrieved my True Lightning Rune…"

"He has the Eightfold Rune," Albert said, causing the others to look at them.

"Is that one of the True Runes?" Salome asked.

"Yes," Albert confirmed. "However, I am not sure of its properties."

"Oh… so it was five against two," Caesar said absentmindedly.

"Now's not the time to be thinking like that," Sasarai told Caesar, although they all knew that the strategist was joking. "However… their True Runes are significantly different from ours, so five against two may not be an accurate representation."

"Well Yuber cannot be killed…" Geddoe muttered. "How do we fight against someone like that?"

"We don't," Albert answered. "Yuber's purpose is to destroy Hikusaak. He's only working with Hikusaak because that is the best way he can prolong the war. So, if we can take down the dragon, we might have a chance."

"So we're just going to ignore Yuber?" Hugo asked fervently. "He almost killed me! There's no telling who he will aim for during the battle!"

"Fine, do any of you want to volunteer?" Albert asked, irritated. When no one answered, he said, "There you go."

"Ignoring Yuber for now, we should have the True Rune Bearers take down the dragon first and then deploy the main armies to keep Hikusaak's forces occupied," Caesar said. "Or do it during the battle, either one…"

"Then our forces should be split into two groups. We'll place soldiers inside the woods and have them surround the enemy when the time comes."

"The Grasslanders should do that; they know the landscape better, and they're well suited for fast attacks."

"Then what remain of the runes over here," Albert pointed on the map, "will make adequate protection for the Harmonian and Zexen forces if they take the front…"

The others watched as the brothers went back and forth through ideas and wondered if they should even bother being here, seeing that the two Silverbergs seemed to have everything figured out. Finally, another question popped out that left the two unsure.

"What are we going to do about Hikusaak?" Caesar asked. "I'm sure that he has numerous magic-repelling, melee-repelling… everything-repelling shields around him. Since it's nearly a one man army, Hikusaak must have taken many measures to keep him safe."

"We will take care of Hikusaak!" Dupa hissed.

"Oh, the outnumbering method?" Caesar asked, putting a hand to his chin in thought and ignoring the fact that the Lizard Clan leader meant that the Lizard Clan, not the entire army, will fight Hikusaak. "That might work… I mean, if you're outnumbered, you'd fall eventually, no matter how powerful you are. That means we have to get rid of most of his army before we can do anything though, but then… a lot of our soldiers will…"

"Would you rather end it here or keep on prolonging the war and have more soldiers killed and brought back as undead?" Albert asked his brother. "This is war, and this is probably the best place for a battle in our advantage. We cannot think of the losses so often that it limits our ability to move."

"I might be able to sink most of the ground units into the earth before they reach us," Sasarai spoke, effectively stopping the argument.

"And I can keep them inside the earth!" Hugo added.

"I'll take care of the air," Geddoe said.

"Then I'll support the rest of you," Chris told them.

Albert sighed, "I guess I have no choice then. I'll take care of the dragon."

"You can do that?" Caesar asked and then remembered. "Oh! Just like when Luc fought Bright…"

"We are so disorganized," Dios whispered to Sasarai.

The Bishop chuckled softly. "I think it'll be okay."

"Yeah… okay. Everything's figured out now right? Now can I please go back to sleep, Hugo?" Caesar announced.

Hugo laughed, "Of course not. You can sleep all you want after we win."

Caesar gave him an imitated sigh of disappointment. "Fine… but we're done right? We have two forces, one in the back and one in the front. The Harmonian and Zexen forces will take shelter and attack from the ruins, and the Grasslanders will attack from the trees and surround Hikusaak's army. Initially, Sasarai and Hugo are going to take care of the ground units, Geddoe the air, Albert the dragon, and Chris our soldiers," he summarized, speaking so quickly without pauses that the others stared at him, wondering if even bothered to think when he talked. "… and Yuber… we'll wing it when we see him!"

Albert put a hand to his forehead in frustration. "Great…"

--

Chris silently entered the tent, trying not to wake its lone occupant. However, her carefulness proved in vain.

"Good morning! Or, should I say afternoon?" Percival greeted her, sitting up.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" the Silver Maiden asked the Swordsman of Gale.

"Nah, I woke up quite a while ago. I just didn't bother opening my eyes because I'd rather that the first person I saw was you," he said, grinning.

"Oh stop with the flirting," she said, glaring at him.

Percival laughed. "I was joking!" The two stare awkwardly for a moment before Percival looked away. "I'm sorry…" he said.

"Why are you apologizing?" Chris asked him. "If there is anyone who should be apologizing, it should be me. If I had gone with the others… then you wouldn't have ended up like this."

"No… I'm apologizing because I failed…" Percival sighed when Chris looked at him questioningly. "I went back to make sure no one got hurt so that you wouldn't regret your decision, but I ended up being the one who almost died. I'm sorry for that…"

"Percival…"

He made an annoyed expression. "… and now I won't be able to fight in the upcoming battle in this state. Overheard one of the healers talking when he came in earlier to check on me…" He sighed again, "All because I messed up…"

"No, you're wrong," Chris interrupted him. "It was because… because I wasn't able to heal you fast enough! I… I wasn't…" Percival suddenly cut her off with a kiss. Before Chris had gotten over the shock, he pulled back.

"I love you…" he whispered, "so don't think that I'd blame you for anything." Chris merely stared at him, apparently still overcome by his previous bold action. Percival inwardly sighed. 'I guess she doesn't like me back… oh shoot; now I've done it…'

Chris touched her lips with her fingertips softly as if they were foreign to her, not even noticing that her gauntlets prevented her from feeling her skin. To Percival's surprise, she then leaned forward towards him and returned the kiss…

* * *

Note: Argh, I was having a lot of trouble with this chapter! I didn't know what to write… Sigh… it'll get better; I apologize for any boringness for the beginning of this chapter… it's like one of those chapters where I run out things to say and then it turns from seriousness to humor… ness… Anyways… Yay for Chris and Percival! Thanks for reading!


	16. The Seer

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

* * *

_Caesar blinked, looking at the strange world around him. He was surrounded by a circular stone wall, indicating that he was probably in a tower of some sort. No furniture decorated the room and no other live beings except for Caesar occupied it._

"_Hello?" he called out. When no immediate response came, he muttered, "Great… what a place to have a dream right before the final battle," to himself._

"_Welcome, young strategist," a female voice said. Suddenly, Caesar noticed that a woman with long strait black hair and closed eyes stood next to the one window in the room. He wondered if she had always been there or if she had just appeared. Since it was a dream, he decided that she had just appeared. He then realized that a set of lit candles arranged in a circle around him had also appeared, along with a chair which he presumed was the woman's and a strange golden metal disk like design on the floor on which he stood. _

"_Who are you?" he asked her, knowing that she was just a fabrication from his dream and couldn't harm him, at least he hoped._

"_My name is Leknaat. I am the seer who lives in this tower," she answered him. By now Caesar had decided that she was blind because she turned towards him carefully with memorized steps._

"_Were you the one affiliated with Luc?" he questioned, although he already had a feeling of what her answer would be._

"_Yes. I was the one who brought Luc from Harmonia to my tower. He had stayed here for a number of years before he left for the Second Firebringer War." As she spoke, Leknaat moved around the room and finally settled in her chair, her robes spread around it like a white flower at bloom._

"_Wait, just to confirm… this is a dream, right," Caesar asked nervously. He didn't know magic as well as he wanted to, but that could not be helped because he didn't have much of an affinity for it. He also knew that although the room felt real, a strange gray shroud seemed to separate him from his surroundings, indicating that he was probably the one who didn't belong._

"_I guess you can call a dream. I entered your consciousness while you were asleep."_

"_Oh, well… okay then," Caesar said. She didn't seem like she meant any harm anyway. "Did you need something from me, Lady Leknaat?" A little respect might help him, he decided._

"_I have a reading for you. Do you wish to hear it?"_

"_Sure, why not?" he said. 'Why would she ask if I wanted to hear it? Isn't this why she brought me here in the first place?' he thought._

"_First, you must understand that my powers as a seer are limited. This is but one of the many outcomes that may occur, although I usually see the most probable ones…"_

"_Oh, so you're going to tell me my future?" Caesar asked her. Leknaat nodded. He grinned. "I don't want to hear it then."_

_Leknaat smiled. "I have never encountered one such as you. What a strange decision… to not wish to hear a freely given destiny."_

"_I decide my own destiny," Caesar casually told her. "Whether I die tomorrow or live until I'm old and rusty, I'll live my life as it comes."_

_Leknaat sighed. "Very well… then at least let me give you some advice since you won't take the reading."_

"_Sure. Advice I can take. We'll probably need it…"_

"_First, please understand that I normally do not meddle in the affairs of the world. Even when I saw what the True Wind Rune had foreseen, I chose not to act."_

"_Wait, so if you don't go around trying to change the world with your power, then how are you able to give people readings?"_

"_They come of their free will. They are the ones who seek me, not me them." Caesar suddenly saw past visitors who had travelled great distances just for a reading from Leknaat. Some were poor; most were rich and had the time to make the journey, although the distance proved to be the farthest and hardest they had travelled in their lives. The strategist came back to the room._

"_Ah, I see. So… why am I so special?" he asked, pointing to himself. "The guys you just showed me had to travel far and wide to search for you. Why is it that I get a free visit?"_

"_The future that I saw for you… is important regarding the others… It will determine whether or not the world falls into Order… You are the one exception. Although, I may have waited too long observing… It is not my custom to meddle in the affairs of the outside world…"_

"_Oh…" Caesar frowned. Now the future of the world is in his hands? No way…_

"_Though, I am afraid for that that to happen, you will not accept…"_

"_It's okay," Caesar told he when he realized what she was about to say. "Just tell me the advice part for now, and I'll decide later if I want the reading, if that is okay with you."_

_Leknaat sighed. "Very well then. The only way to defeat the bearer of the Circle Rune is with a blade of chaos."_

"_Oh! That's easy. The only problem is that Yuber seems to have more fun watching us die than preventing the world of Order."_

"_His blade is not connected to his True Rune…"_

"_Huh?" he said, surprised._

"_I do not know how to tell you this without telling you your reading."_

"_That piece advice is kind of hard for someone like me, who doesn't know a lot of magic, to comprehend."_

"_You are the one who will forge the blade that will destroy Hikusaak." Leknaat decided to push her luck a little in telling the strategist. She had not expected him to refuse, but the seer was determined._

"_I'm not a blacksmith though," he joked._

_Leknaat chuckled. "Indeed… it is a blade made from sacrifice."_

"_What do I have to sacrifice?" That was her cue._

_However, Leknaat frowned, hesitating. Caesar swore that if she had opened her eyes, he'd be met with a pitying expression. "That is the reading…"_

_Caesar gave up, his curiosity getting the better of him. 'If telling me my reading would help the battle, then I might as well hear it…' he thought. 'This is my chance to do something!'_

"_Never mind, please just tell me…" he said. "I'm sorry for being so difficult."_

"_I do not know the specifics, but the sacrifice for the blade of chaos…" she began and then hesitated again for a second, "… is your life…"_

_Caesar suddenly regretted what he said earlier about his lifespan…_

--

Back in her tower, Leknaat sighed as she waved a hand over the small flame in front of her, extinguishing it.

"What a horrible burden to bear…" she said to the empty air. "Just what were you trying to tell me, making me force the reading on the Silverberg?" she touched her Back Gate Rune. "Hikusaak… will you take another brother away… just as you had done to Sasarai and Luc?"

--

Sasarai stood outside, looking over at the horizon where Hikusaak was sure to appear the following day. The sun was sinking through the mountains and its blood red rays cast its light across the soon-to-be battlefield, foreshadowing the blood spilling on the grass the next day. He closed his eyes and felt the wind on his face, trying to calm his nerves. The Bishop had escaped from the activities of the camp to gather himself.

'Tomorrow… everything might end tomorrow…' he thought, his stomach sinking. 'No… tomorrow… he has to die… then the world and Harmonia will be saved… I must be the one to kill him…'

"Beautiful, isn't it?" a voice seeped in sarcasm made the Bishop whirl around, only to be struck in the stomach with a gloved fist.

"You!" Sasarai gasped before feeling the world disappear from his view.

Yuber caught the Bishop unceremoniously around the stomach. "Pity Hikusaak wanted you alive. I'd much rather have killed you." With a grin that he had effectively carried out his mission, Yuber disappeared with Sasarai.

Back at the camp, Albert suddenly felt the change in the wind.

"What's wrong?" Dios asked him, noticing the strategist's expression.

"Something's happened to Sasarai… Where is he?"

"Lord Sasarai said that he'd take a walk to see the sunset…" Before Dios could finish, Albert rushed past him.

"Sasarai!" Albert yelled out before he even reached the cliff. He looked around but found no one. "Impossible… he was here a minute ago, wasn't he?" he muttered, frantically looking around the dirt for any traces of the Bishop.

"Albert!" Dios, trying to catch his breath, called him.

"He's gone…" Albert said as he bent down and picked up a familiar silver ring.

"That's one of Lord Sasarai's!" Dios exclaimed.

"This is not good… we must go back and inform the others."

_I have you now… traitor to Harmonia…_

* * *

Note: Thank you for reading!


	17. Sunrise

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

* * *

"_This is not good…" the True Wind Rune's echoing voice came out of Luc's mouth as soon as Albert saw him._

_The strategist was already irritated that he had spent several hours searching for the missing Bishop without any success and then several hours trying to fall asleep while worried about the upcoming battle. Now the True Rune just had to interrupt his already disoriented dreams, and Albert suddenly let his anger take control. "Listen, if you don't have anything to say, then don't disturb me," he said in an annoyed tone, "and stop using that voice; it's irritating." _

_Indeed, the True Rune echoed throughout the entire dream and rattled Albert's heart every time it spoke. Its unearthly nature was enough to send normal people into submission or insanity, but Albert had held out until now. He wanted to rip the fabricated world apart and leave it in shreds just so that he wouldn't hear that voice lecturing him in its monotone echo._

"_I apologize," Luc said in his normal voice. The change in atmosphere calmed the strategist a little, and he realized his lapse in control in time to repair it. "I didn't realize that it annoyed you humans so much."_

"_Do you know what Hikusaak plans to do with Sasarai?" he asked Luc._

"_Sasarai is a clone of Hikusaak. Of course the bearer of the Circle Rune will try to reclaim its progeny. He might use a spell to play with my brother's mind and then send the True Earth Rune to fight against us." Albert took note of the fact that the True Wind Rune referred to the Bishop as its "brother" despite not being the true Luc._

_Pushing away the observation for now, Albert continued, "Is there any way to prevent that from happening?"_

"_If one's mind is strong, then no spells or words can chain it down. However, my brother may not possess the strongest of personalities, partly due to me." Luc looked away._

"_Damn…" Albert cursed and immediately began thinking of possible alternatives to their previous plan._

"_I must admit, Sasarai was not the original reason for my visit with you," Luc said, making Albert look at him suspiciously and saw that Luc had once again focused his empty gaze on the strategist. "It seems that the bearer of part of the Gate Rune has visited your brother. You may have heard of her."_

"_Is it the seer, Leknaat, Luc's teacher?" Albert asked._

_Luc nodded. "I do not know what business she had with your brother, but from my memories, Leknaat appeared to be quite a quiet character. She never interfered with the workings outside of her tower. Her visit to Caesar may have originated from a request from her True Rune."_

"_That means that whatever Leknaat had to tell Caesar was very important, doesn't it?"_

"_Yes… although I do not know what it is. My power does not reach Leknaat's level."_

"_You were able to see into Hikusaak's plans for the future."_

"_It was an easier task to reach into Hikusaak's planned future since he was a direct blood relation to Luc. I was also under that person's control for a period of time before I was given to Luc. There were plenty of opportunities to look into the Circle Rune's host."_

"_I see…" Albert said, putting a hand on his chin as he processed the information._

"_Leknaat's visit to Caesar may mean that he will play a significant role in the upcoming battle. It would wise of you to keep an eye on him."_

"_He's not even fighting though," Albert reminded the True Wind Rune._

"_Regardless… please take this into account."_

_Albert thought for a second, trying to recall another dream that seemed closely related to the matter at hand. He remembered. "Wait, does this have anything to do with that dream I had of Caesar a while back?"_

"_That dream was a message from the Back Gate Rune. At that time, I did not want you to become distracted by it."_

"_So you pretended to ignore it…"Albert accused._

"_I apologize again. However, I find it odd that the dream occurred at that particular time. I would've thought that the Back Gate Rune would choose a time closer to the appearance of Hikusaak. That way, the message might have been clearer."_

"_In that case, I'll make sure that Caesar doesn't go into the battlefield with anyone this time."_

"_Agreed. He might hold the key to defeating Hikusaak."_

"_His life better not be in danger… I have enough lives to worry about…" Albert muttered._

--

The four True Rune bearers gazed at the sunrise together, mentally preparing for the upcoming battle. They had all felt the loss of Sasarai, and his disappearance had affected them greatly, for they had lost a crucial part of their power.

"We're counting on you," Albert told Hugo, who nodded determinedly.

"This is it… we have to give it our all," Chris affirmed. Like the others, she had not gotten a lot of sleep the night before, partly because of their search for Sasarai and partly because she spent the rest of the night trying to talk Percival out of fighting since he, not even able to walk without falling, was in no condition to handle a sword or ride a horse. The Rune Bearers began hearing screeching in the distance, followed by a series of thumps from the mechanical march of the undead army.

"Let's put them in their rightful places," Geddoe muttered when the army started charging towards them like ants on an anthill. Numerous dirt-covered metal spears, axes and swords held by Hikusaak's army reflected the sunlight, creating a small display of lights as the undead bolted down the hill towards the ceremonial site, their metal covered and bare feet thumping in a now uneven tremble on the land. The Harmonian army in the front lines winced and looked away when they saw their comrades' walking corpses approach, screaming madly and sending a bone-chilling echo of voices throughout the area.

Albert nodded to Hugo, who took a breath and raised his right hand, beginning the spell. The front ranks of their adversary's army exploded in a torrent of flames, also setting the ones behind them on fire. The cries of the undead now turned into what sounded like cries of agony and relief as some that were on fire crumpled to the earth and turned into ash. The rest continued over the fallen bodies of their allies as the robed white figure finished the summoning of the portals.

This time, several huge portals ripped across the sky, and out poured thousands of what looked like black feathered flying creatures. Geddoe now began his chanting and the dim sky seemed to darken even more as flashes of lightning began illuminating the gray clouds, striking into dozens of demons at a time and sending the creatures plummeting to the ground, twitching slightly from the current that had just run through their veins.

"Fire!" Dios and Salome ordered the archers, and a rain of arrows poured down on the portion of units that passed the fire and lighting storms. The metal tipped pieces of wood flew up into the air and seemed to brace themselves for the impact, then barraged the incoming units like hail, bouncing off metal shields and piercing fur, bone, and flesh. Nevertheless, what remained of Hikusaak's army, which was still a lot and continuously growing from the portals, continued to advance towards the ruins.

"Charge!" Albert and Caesar finally ordered the Zexen and Harmonian soldiers, who mustered enough courage from the greatly reduced number of enemy soldiers and ran towards their adversary, yelling battle cries to rival that of the undead army. The onlookers watched as the two swarms of dots slowly approached each other and then mixed with a deafening crash as shield hit shield, sword hit sword, and sword hit armor. Chris immediately began her portion of the casting, healing as many wounds as she could while they were being inflicted.

"Hm, the dragon hasn't come yet," Caesar muttered. Albert had noticed that his brother seemed more jumpy than usual and occasionally looked around nervously as if waiting for something bad to happen. Hugo had earlier refused to let Caesar ride with the Grasslanders as usual, although the strategist had asked even though Hugo was to be with the Harmonians and Zexen instead of the Grasslanders during the battle. Both Albert and Hugo had found the younger strategist's request odd and promptly refused it.

"It must be his trump card," Albert told him, pushing the thoughts of Caesar's strange behavior aside and removing one of his gloves to control the violent flames, further driving them back towards the portals and the robed figure. "Hugo, just concentrate on keeping the flame burning for now; I'll direct it."

"Got it," Hugo said.

"Then you guys don't need me here right now, right?" Caesar suddenly asked. Albert looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "I have to take care of some things inside the ruins for a while. Please, it's really important," he half begged, looking at his brother with pleading eyes.

"Is it Leknaat?" Albert asked his brother, making the other Rune Bearers turn their heads towards the brothers. Caesar nodded helplessly.

"I… I have to do this… It's the only way…"

"What are you planning to do, Caesar?" Hugo, concerned, asked him.

"Oh, nothing dangerous," Caesar said, forcing a grin. "After all, it's inside the ruins, away from the battle. It's just a short ritual that I… Leknaat came up with… yeah…"

Albert sighed. "Go then."

"Awesome!" Caesar began running off before his brother called after him.

"Be careful!"

Caesar gave one of his casual backward waves before disappearing into the ruins.

"Albert!" Hugo's voice tore the strategist's attention away from his brother and back to the battlefield. The roar of a dragon indicated that his adversary had finally appeared.

* * *

Note: Another chapter down, yay! Thank you for reading!


	18. Go!

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

* * *

"Sorry to be asking you to do something this big," Caesar said to Viki, who were the only ones in the empty intact chamber he had found earlier in the ruins.

"I don't mind. I kind of messed up earlier with teleporting Hugo and the others," she replied, embarrassed at her previous half-failure. "So, what do you need me to teleport this time?" she asked eagerly.

"Actually, this is a very specific teleportation. Are you up it?" Caesar asked her. He hoped that she would accept or else he would have to resort to riding into the battle, which might get him killed before he managed to do anything.

"I'll do my best," she told him, gripping her staff determinedly.

"Great. Now, listen closely." Caesar took a breath, revisiting his plan in his memories. "Right now, there is an undead dragon out there, previously named Black. There should be one person riding him. I want you to teleport him here by any means and then teleport yourself out of this room as soon as you get him here."

"That's it?" she asked Caesar. "Are you sure you don't me to bring anyone else?"

The strategist shook his head. "The others are busy fighting right now. Besides, this might win the battle for us."

Viki frowned. "Well I don't really understand what you want to accomplish, but I'll try my best."

"Thanks again, Viki. You're a great help!" Caesar said lightheartedly.

"Thank you!" she said, smiling. She lifted her staff, getting ready for the spell. "Okay… Go!"

--

Sasarai slowly opened his eyes, expecting pain from a sword through his chest or some other wound. However, he felt no such discomfort and found that he was lying in a field under what looked like giant portals. Screams, both human and not human, reached him from one side while screeches came to him from the air. It was then he realized that he was with Hikusaak and jumped to his feet.

"So you're finally awake," the robed figure said, not turning around. One of his hands was raised towards the battlefield.

"Stop this, Hikusaak! This is not what Harmonia wants!" Sasarai tried to force some sense into his country's idol.

"Harmonia?" Hikusaak lowered his hand and turned to his creation. "I am Harmonia," he said sternly and removed his hood. Sasarai found himself face to face with a mirror image of himself; Hikusaak had kept his hair the same length as Sasarai's, unlike Luc, who had cut it short. The only difference between them was that the High Priest of Harmonia's eyes were burning with what looked like confidence, but one could say it was insanity.

"You are part of Harmonia," he said to the bishop. "You are part of me. Therefore, you should be serving me…" Hikusaak raised his hand, wordlessly casting a spell. "I should have never given you so much freedom. Luc was already a prime example of disobedience, but he was a failed creation, so I let him go. You, however…" Sasarai suddenly felt a pain in his brain and fell to the floor, clutching his head. "Return to me…" Hikusaak commanded him.

"Never… I'll never serve the likes of you, whether you created me or not!" Sasarai gasped.

Hikusaak sighed. "Then you give me no choice. I will forcefully take control away from you. I need the True Earth Rune to defeat Harmonia's enemies." He sighed. "Why can't you understand that, servant of Harmonia?"

"You are Harmonia's enemy! Don't you see? You're murdering your own…"

"Those soldiers behind me are nothing by traitors like you. However… you were special; I was going to give you another chance, but you have not met my expectations." Sasarai screamed as Hikusaak's consciousness continued to enter his. "Pity…" Sasarai once again felt the edges of his vision go dark, although this time it was not from a physical cause.

"_Kill them… kill all the traitors!" he heard Hikusaak's voice echoing through his mind. Or was it his voice? Hikusaak sounded just him after all… "Harmonia needs you, Bishop Sasarai. Free Harmonia from her enemies… Kill them all!" He swore that the voice sounded a little crazy… kind of like Yuber's…_

_He felt the True Earth Rune begin acting, ready to burst with energy and destroy whatever target that had been specified for it. "That's right… even your True Rune understands its purpose. Join me now… Sasarai… and the world will be saved from this chaos which is war…"He lifted his right hand at the enemy and began casting._

"_Destroy… the enemy…" he felt his own mouth whisper, his eyes empty and his heart barren. The earth began to respond and readied itself to hurl its contents against the enemy of Harmonia._

"_So you're just going to give in?" another voice asked him. Wait, was it his own voice… or was it Hikusaak's? All three sounded so much alike, he couldn't tell them apart. Luc appeared in front of him, blocking him from the Harmonian and Zexen forces. "Well, brother?"_

_Sasarai blinked, and he was himself again. He gave his brother an uncharacteristic smirk. "Give up? Of course not!"_

"_Good. I didn't want to come all the way over here just to beat you to your senses. Glad that you've returned… I must be going now; I forgot to tell Sarah that I went to pay you visit." Luc grinned. "Destroy him for me, will you, Sasarai…"_

Sasarai came to his senses as Hikusaak stumbled backwards, confused. "How…" the High Priest gasped. "There must be a mistake. How were you able to resist my spell?"

"Do you want to know how?" Sasarai said calmly, as he got to his feet. "It was Luc, the one you called a failure. That's how…"

"No!" Hikusaak cried out angrily and sent out a wave of magic at Sasarai, who moved to block it with his True Earth Rune. From across the battlefield, the soldiers noticed the sudden unstable shaking of the portals in the air as its conjuror momentarily lost concentration.

--

"Did you see that?" Hugo asked the others when they saw the ripple through the portals.

"It must be Sasarai," Albert muttered as he eyed the dragon's movements. It seemed to have found a satisfactory target and descended into the mass of units, ready to exhale fire while Chris prepared to heal any caught in the dragon's flames. Luckily, Albert immediately sent a blast of air towards the creature and hurled it away from the ground before it was able to add any flames to the already burning battlefield. The dragon gave a roar and then turned its attention towards the Rune Bearers, flying over the armies to reach the four on the cliff.

"Get ready," Geddoe told Albert. They suddenly noticed a lone rider on the dragon; his mismatched eyes watched his targets eagerly, and he readied his two blades for the attack.

"Yuber…" Albert muttered, not knowing whether or not his attacks will work, now that the demon was riding the dragon.

"_Remember… concentrate the wind…"_ Luc's voice told him. Albert took a breath and then sent a single thin strip of wind towards the dragon. Just before the little ripple in the air reached the beast, the four saw Viki blink onto the back of the dragon, find her target, and then blink away with Yuber, who looked as stunned as the rest of them to see the magician. The wind made contact with the dragon and it stopped in midair as if frozen. Then, with a final screech, it split apart into two and crumpled down to the earth, defeated.

"You did it!" Hugo said excitedly. "But why was Viki…"

"Oh no…" Albert gasped, realizing what had just occurred. "Caesar…" He turned around and ran towards the ruins. "Take care of the rest for now! Don't wait for me!" the strategist called to the others, who looked at each other nervously.

--

"Argh!" Yuber yelled as he landed on the dusty stone in a cloud a smoke. Another pop indicated that his "savior," but he preferred to call her "interferer," had teleported away.

"Hello Yuber. I believe we've met before," a familiar slightly nervous voice greeted him.

"You… I remember you…" Yuber grinned when he saw Caesar. The demon got to his feet. "You're Albert's little brother."

"That's right."

"Why have you summoned me here? Alone, also… you must not care for your life…"

"Actually, I just want to talk. You know, make a request…" Caesar managed to retain some of his usually casualness back into his voice.

"Oh, and what request would that be?"

"If you can't tell by now, your side is fighting a losing battle. I think it's probably time for you to do whatever you were going to do from the beginning, don't you think?"

"Ah…" Yuber drawled, examining the edge of one of his swords. "You mean kill Hikusaak… yes yes… of course…"

"Well, then why haven't you done it?" Caesar asked him.

"Can't you see by now? Hikusaak is crazy! He even summoned the portals for me!" Yuber said, laughing. "Imagine… being able to summon creatures of Chaos with the ultimate True Rune of Order! In his state, he will never be able to bring about that empty world you all fear so much. I didn't even realize his potential until I met the guy."

Caesar's heart dropped. "So that means… you weren't going to kill him after all?"

Yuber shook his head. "Nope. Besides, I actually already tried. The guy doesn't die. He's just like me." He took a step towards the strategist. "Now as for you… Tough luck for not understanding my true nature…"

"Caesar!" the two heard Albert yell from outside.

"Ah, you're brother is now here to save you. Too bad he's going to be a little late…"

"Wait," Caesar gasped, panicking, but the blade was already inside of him, piercing his heart with a sickening squelching sound. With the same grin still plastered on his face, Yuber wrenched the sword out of the Silverberg with a swift movement of the hand, and blood splattered over both their clothes and the floor and drenched Yuber's sword in the red liquid. Caesar looked at his wound, touching it with a trembling finger as if it weren't real. Then, he fell, and his brother, who had finally arrived, caught him with one swift movement.

_Well, Leknaat… I guess your vision was right… but I think the stupid sword cut the wrong person… because it's not glowing or anything…_

* * *

Note: Um… thank you for reading…


	19. Coexistence

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

* * *

_The only way to remove the Eightfold Rune is to strike it with a blade containing the blood of both the host and one that he has killed…_

"It looks like your calculations were wrong again," Yuber said, raising his sword. The older Silverberg knew what action he had to take, but his body wouldn't move; his hands refused to relocate from his brother's bleeding form. The shock kept the strategist as motionless as the stone walls of one of Harmonia's castles. The demon smirked, his mismatched eyes glowing with pleasure at the destruction he had caused with a simple thrust of the blade. "Goodbye then, Albert…" Yuber hissed and brought the sword down.

A suddenly flash of silver suddenly sent the demon propelling backwards, away from the Silverberg brothers. Yuber hit wall and dropped one of his swords, his blood from the wound marking the surface as it trickled down the stone. Percival stumbled backwards and collapsed to the floor, breathing hard from exhaustion. He had taken the time to put on a new set of armor, but the weight, along with his incomplete recovery, added to his inability to fight at his full potential. Unfortunately, fortunately for Albert, the Swordsman of Gale had somehow gotten lost in the ruins and ended up at his current location.

"That's payback for before," the Zexen knight gasped to the demon. The sword had gone through Yuber's abdomen and pinned him to the wall.

"Funny…" Yuber smiled maniacally, "how you humans always seem to think that you can kill me with a simple wound such as this. You see," he said as he pulled the blade from his chest and tossed it aside, "like Chaos, I cannot be killed. I will never fade from this world, unlike you humans." He began to slowly walk towards Percival while the latter edged away.

"Albert…" the strategist heard a whisper from the one in his arms.

"Caesar, you shouldn't talk right now," he told his brother.

"No… it's too late… for me…" came the response that Albert had been dreading. "I… don't think I can… wait… for the others…"

"Stop talking like that," the older commanded.

Caesar smiled, closing his eyes. "Darn… I guess… I ended up dying first… after all… although… it's kind of my fault… whatever… it was destiny…" Albert's eyes widened. Right before his eyes, his own brother was dying, and the older was unable to do a thing about it. "Albert, do… me a favor… will you?"

"Yes?" Albert whispered.

"Make sure… that we win…" His breathing stilled, and his features relaxed into a content smile. The realization hit Albert and fire returned to his veins. The bearer of the True Wind Rune slowly laid his brother's corpse on the ground and turned his attention to Yuber, who was still walking slowly towards Percival, relishing in the knight's fear.

"I'd rather you not die the same way that weak one did," Yuber said. He raised his hand, muttering a spell. The air behind him ripped open, revealing a familiar portal to the demon world. "I'll just sit back and watch as these guys behind me tear you to pieces!"

Suddenly, a blast of wind sent the demon sliding backwards across the sandy floor and prevented whatever creature that had proceeded to exit the portal from entering the room.

"You cannot defeat me!" Yuber yelled to Albert. "Remember! I hold one of the True Runes that keeps this world from falling into Order!"

"I beg to differ," Percival said as he grabbed the sword that Yuber had dropped earlier and sliced into the back of Yuber's hand, the blood on the sword mixing with Yuber's and the Eightfold Rune. An unearthly scream erupted from both Yuber and the Eightfold Rune as the True Rune peeled off of Yuber's mutilated hand and attached itself to his own sword.

Yuber grabbed his bleeding hand, murder in his eyes. "You!" He lunged at Percival to reclaim his True Rune, but a final eruption of wind ripped through his flesh and threw him into the portal, closing the rip in space behind the demon. The two stared for a moment at the now unaltered space before turning their attention to the young deceased strategist.

"Can you watch him for me?" Albert asked Percival. "There are still some things I have to do…"

"Take this with you," Percival offered Albert the sword with the Eightfold Rune. Albert took it carefully and nodded to the knight. He then nearly ran from the room, leaving Percival alone. Whether it was from grief for his brother or concern for the battle he should have been at, Percival never knew.

--

Sasarai panted as sweat trickled down the side of his face, exhaustion creeping into his body from the continuous use of the True Earth Rune.

"Give up," Hikusaak said. "There is no way you alone can defeat me."

The Bishop laughed. "You've already lost. Look behind you." Hikusaak stole a glance at the battle, realizing that his forces were being pushed slowly towards him at a steadily increasing rate by the Harmonian and Zexen forces. "Now look in front of you." The roar of the Grasslanders indicated that the reinforcements had finally arrived and moved to surround the High Priest of Harmonia.

"Tch," Hikusaak spat and raised his hands to the portals above him. "You forget, Sasarai, I have an infinite amount of troops at my disposal. No matter where you position your men, mine will overrun them. Was that your plan to begin with: to defeat me with mere numbers?"

Sasarai answered by crumpling the ground under Hikusaak. The bearer of the Circle Rune nimbly jumped out of harm's way, laughing. "Nice try, but not good enough." He sent a wave a magic towards his progeny, knocking Sasarai off his feet. "Hm… it seems like I didn't have to use the True Earth Rune after all." He took a step towards the fallen Bishop, who was struggling to get up but collapsed in exhaustion. He smiled diabolically. "I have no need of you. Be gone!"

Hikusaak raised his hand, ready to fire a final spell at his creation, when an arrow hit him from behind and went through his chest. He looked at it, annoyed, and pulled out the weapon, blood following it. Hikusaak turned around and found the ammunition's owner: Jacques.

"You? I thought my pet dragon had finished you off earlier. Oh well… it looks like I have to do all the work around here…" Hikusaak began casting when he was hit again, this time by a barrage of fire. With a wave of his hand, the High Priest extinguished the flames around him and appeared unscathed. Hugo and the others stood before him, ready to fight.

"You all… you don't understand…" he said. "You don't understand how chaotic this world is!" His Circle Rune began glowing. "Well! I'll show you how chaotic it is!" A blast of magic erupted from around him, sending all of the soldiers off their feet and hurling them away from Hikusaak. The True Rune bearers did not fare as badly, but they were knocked to the ground.

"The world of Order… it will become a reality… and we will all finally be at peace…" Hikusaak said, closing his eyes, blood staining his robes from the arrow wound.

"What kind of peace is emptiness?" Hugo yelled, trying to get up despite the force crushing down on him.

"What right do you have to tell us what peace is?" Geddoe joined in.

"We will never submit to your ideals!" Chris added, getting up. The soldiers around them struggled to their feet, yelling in consent. The undead soldiers had all been defeated, but the demons from the portals were still pouring out and the armies began fighting again. Most of the Harmonian and Zexen knights were exhausted, but their determination held on and they continued to defend their world.

"You misunderstand me," Hikusaak said, sending another wave of magic over the area. "I'm not giving you a choice…" He conjured four familiar looking glass spheres. "I'm going to create the future of Order whether you want it or not."

"No you're not," a voice said behind him as a sword went through the High Priest's heart, blood spurting out from the wound and staining the grass. A trickle of hemoglobin trailed down Hikusaak's chin as he coughed.

"Heh, I can't be killed, remember?" Hikusaak said to his attacker. "Even that messenger of Chaos, Yuber, tried to kill me with his Eightfold Rune, and he failed."

"Well, his Eightfold Rune is currently inside of you… so I wonder… Does that make any difference?" Albert said.

"Keep on dreaming your pathetic dreams," Hikusaak retorted, ready to send a wave of magic towards Albert, but then froze. The portals above him collapsed and disappeared into wisps of purple dust. The demons looked back at their master and then vanished with the gateways into the air while the sky cleared, and the sun casted its rays across the land.

"No… It… can't… be…" Hikusaak gasped as his body started glowing. The Circle and the Eightfold Rune began repelling each other in a blinding display of light inside his body, propelling Albert away from Hikusaak. The High Priest stood where was, suspended in the air by the two forces inside of him as little flashes of energy tore through his body. With a final scream, the two True Runes flew out of his body in opposite directions, and Hikusaak disappeared into dust. With the spell lifted, Sasarai forced himself to his feet and caught the two True Runes with two of the four glass spheres Hikusaak had conjured earlier. The other two disappeared, and suddenly, the land was quiet.

--

Percival finally found his way out of the ruins, carrying Caesar's body with him and moving with weary steps. Blood trailed behind the two, marking the slow journey to the outside world.

"Hey," Percival said to Caesar's unmoving form. "We won…"

* * *

Note: Whew… almost there… Thank you for reading!


	20. Farewell

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

* * *

_Back to the present…_

Sasarai watched from afar as Apple half stormed out of the burial grounds. He watched as she stopped at the edge of the grave stones and took off her glasses, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief. He watched as she turned around and thought of going back to the grave of her student. He watched as she slowly returned to her original path and left…

"Albert…" Sasarai said when he approached his strategist. The wind had not died down so the Bishop had used his True Earth Rune to slightly alleviate the air around him in order to not get knocked down on his way up the slope.

"She was right," Albert told him. "It was my fault that Caesar died… If only I had spent a little more time concentrating on Yuber, then we might have…"

"I've always wondered if he knew…" Sasarai said as he placed the flowers he had brought on the grave. The strategist looked at him, slight confusion etched on his face. "The look on his face when I saw him afterwards was so… content… It was as if he was expecting to die in those ruins."

"He probably was… he was visited by Leknaat the night before we fought Hikusaak."

"Oh? You never told me that," Sasarai said, surprised. "Actually… I was quite surprised when Leknaat showed up afterwards…"

_The five True Rune bearers stared at the spot where Hikusaak had once occupied, too surprised to move. They were afraid that any action would wake them from a dream and toss them back into reality where Hikusaak had already taken their True Runes. However, nothing happened and they finally got to their feet. _

_Sasarai pulled the two True Runes towards him with magic, the spheres hovering above his hands. _

"_Please give them to me. I will seal those two away," a voice suddenly said, making the others turn. Leknaat had appeared out of the air, facing Sasarai and seemingly watching him with her closed eyes. Hesitating, the Bishop walked over to the seer, and the two orbs floated to her like two bubbles; one would have doubted that the previous display of pure magic repelling each other had even originated from these two True Runes. Leknaat smiled sadly. "You've done well… brother of Luc…" With those words, she disappeared…_

"It must have been hard for her too… to be able to see the future like that," Sasarai muttered.

"I wonder if she ever managed to calm the two True Runes down. I didn't realize how much they opposed each other…"

"What made you decide to use the sword instead of your True Wind Rune?" Sasarai asked him.

Albert shrugged. "Strategist's intuition: if the True Fire Rune did not work, then my True Wind Rune would not have done much anyway."

"I see… it must have been fate for you to have gotten that sword…" The two stared quietly at the grave as the wind around them quieted down to a breeze, mainly because unlike Apple, Sasarai's presence had managed calmed the strategist a little.

Suddenly, a pop made the two turn around as a cloud of dust materialized behind them. They heard coughing from the middle of the tiny debris in the air, and Albert blew the dust away with strong but not dangerous gust of wind, revealing Viki, who again had not changed from the last time they saw her.

"Huh? Where am I?" she asked them, and then realized that she was in a graveyard. "Wait, aren't you guys supposed to be fighting? Oh, and I remember that Lord Sasarai was kidnapped…"

"That was a year ago…" Sasarai told her.

"Oh…" she said sadly. "I guess I messed up again…" She looked at them curiously. "Um… so why are you two here? Did you lose someone close to you?"

"Viki…" Sasarai said, looking away. "I'm sorry… but I think you should just leave here."

"Huh? Why?" she asked him, walking up to the two to see which grave they were at. They made no movement to stop her, knowing that it was inevitable for her to found out. "Caesar… why… what happened to him?" she stuttered.

"It was Yuber…" Sasarai told her gently.

"No!" Viki said, tears forming in her eyes. "No… but Caesar told me that it was part of the plan! He said that if I teleported him, we'd win!"

"We did…" Albert said. "It was all thanks to him too…"

"No… he can't be dead…" Viki stared at the grave to confirm the name on it. "Caesar!" Viki finally broke down, falling to her knees as her eyes widened with the realization. "He told me to teleport away as soon as I got the guy on the dragon into that room! I didn't know that he… that he was planning to die! I should have never…" she put her face in her hands as the tears began pouring out.

"Viki…" Sasarai said softly. "It's no one's fault. Caesar chose his destiny on his own…" While Viki managed to control her sobbing to sniffles, the two True Rune bearers looked each other uncomfortably, not knowing how to counsel the magician next to them.

When Viki had finally collected herself, she told the two goodbye and left in another attempt to return home.

"Farewell," she told them before blinking away to who knows where.

Sighing, Sasarai announced, "They'll be wondering where we are. We should go." Albert nodded and followed his superior away from Caesar's grave.

"To choose one's own destiny…" Albert muttered, stealing a backward glance at the gravestone before he walked away.

And the wind disappeared…

--

_Albert studied his surroundings, sighing. "Luc?" he called, knowing that the True Wind Rune had once again decided to occupy his already engaged dreams. They were in the Harmonian castle gardens this time, and the moon indicated that the True Rune had decided to use night as the setting. The figure the strategist had been looking for suddenly appeared, choosing to sit on the edge of one of the huge stone water fountains._

_"It has been a while since we've talked," Luc said as a greeting. Albert inwardly thanked the True Rune for not using the other voice. Luc's normal voice sounded a lot more comfortable to listen to, not to mention it was less intimidating._

_"I was beginning to wonder if you had faded away," Albert responded._

_Luc shook his head. "I merely did not want to disrupt your thinking process during the rebuilding of Harmonia. I am actually quite pleased with the results. Although... are you sure you can trust a blood relation of the previous owner of the Circle Rune to lead Harmonia in the years to come?"_

_"Sasarai is different from Hikusaak," Albert retorted._

_"That is true... I was merely testing you," he responded in a matter-of-factly tone._

_The strategist raised an eyebrow. "Testing me? Does that mean that you have already approved of Sasarai as the best choice for the Harmonian leadership position?"_

_"I have talked with him," Luc admitted. "He seemed quite capable." _

_"So you've imposed in him your ideals..."_

_"No... It was the will of Luc's memories."_

_Albert sighed. "Fine... It's pointless to argue now."_

_"Agreed."_

_"Why did you call me to this place again? The war is over; Hikusaak is gone," Albert asked._

_"I merely called you here to thank you. Can't a True Rune express its gratitude to its host?" Luc answered with a question._

_Albert chuckled. "So you do have a sense of humor."_

_"I must have gotten it from watching you and your acquaintances so often," Luc said._

_"Sure..." Albert muttered, unconvinced._

_Luc studied Albert curiously as if it were waiting for the strategist to say something. When the Silverberg did not speak, Luc quietly said, "Do you not have something to ask of me?" Albert looked at him in surprise. "Remember, as long as I am with you, I am a part of you. I know what it is that you want."_

_"Are you willing to grant my wish?"_

_"As payment for destroying the world of Order... yes... but I only ask you to think this over carefully. Once you make the choice, it may be irreversible."_

_Albert smirked. "I've already decided. I'm not going to go back on it."_

_"Very well... Please let me hear you confirm it yourself then."_

_"Fine… Luc," Albert began, calling the by the name of the form which it took. "I have a request..."_

* * *

Note: The next chapter will be the last (cries)! I'm going to change the plot summary after I post it, so don't panic; it's still the same story. The title's still going to be the same though since I like Chopin's Etudes ha ha! Etude actually means "study" so "Etude of War" literally means "Study of War." Although… I wonder if it really fits this story… but I still like the title ha ha… Anyways, I'll see you once again with the last chapter! As always, thank you so much for reading!


	21. Epilogue

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

* * *

_Fifty years after the fall of Hikusaak…_

It was a calm day. A light breeze swept the many loose petals about the graves and grassy hills that rolled on for as far as the eye could see, the sun illuminated the lush landscape with soft rays, and the clouds gathered into little clumps in the air so that the clear blue sky appeared in huge patches across the heavens. A lone visitor occupied the burial grounds, dressed in a flowing black coat and carrying an expensive silver cane

Albert Silverberg stared at his brother's grave, lost in thoughts of the past. He had again brought a small bouquet of white flowers, and it now lay almost tranquilly on the stone with no companions. Fifty years had done a lot to the strategist, although one would almost say that the Silverberg's growth was slowed by the temporary possession of the True Wind Rune.

His hair had only grayed halfway; a modest amount of white strands were highlighted by what remained of his maroon hair that was still kept at the same fashionably short length he had fifty years ago. A few wrinkles made their way across his face, although Albert had quite a clear complexion despite of his age. However, his once intense green eyes had begun to gray around the edges of the irises, harboring the signs of future vision loss. The cane was for his leg; his right one had suddenly begun aching a few years ago, and the pain never subsided. It didn't matter to him though. He was used to it, just as he had gotten used to everything else except for one thing…

"Hey Caesar," he muttered. "I might be joining you in a few years…" The wind picked up slightly, but its strength paled in comparison to the first time he had visited his brother's grave. "I wonder… have you ever forgiven me?" Silence answered him. Albert sighed, "I guess I'll just have to ask you when I see you, huh?"

"Grandpa!" an energetic little voice called from across the field. Albert turned to see a little girl waving at him, followed by Sasarai. She ran across the burial site to the strategist, laughing with joy at seeing him. "Grandpa, what are you doing out here by yourself?" she asked when she reached him.

Albert smiled warmly and bent down, patting her on the head. "Grandpa's just visiting your grand uncle."

"Uncle Caesar?" she asked. Albert nodded. "Oh! Daddy brought me here to visit him too! He said Uncle Caesar wanted to see how big I've grown," she said, laughing. "See, I'm really tall now!"

"Yes you are," Albert told her despite the fact that the five-year old only reached his waist. "Now don't keep him waiting. Go see him."

"Okay!" She went to the grave and squatted down, silently talking to it. She had inherited the penetrating green eyes of the Silverbergs, but if one looked closely, he would conclude that her hair leaned more towards the brown side than the original maroon. The girl was already showing the signs of a genius, but effectively masked it behind her child-like innocence, whether artificially or naturally. Her affinity to magic that she inherited from her father also added to her workload; Sasarai had made sure that he found the best teachers in Harmonia for both her academic and magic instructions.

"She's a bundle of energy." Sasarai said to Albert when he finally reached the strategist. "Always running off… We almost lost her in the marketplace once." The ex-bishop looked more or less the same. He had grown his hair longer than it already was during the Second Firebringer War to his waist and had tied it loosely with a piece of silk.

"You didn't tell me about that," the strategist said, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure I did. You weren't listening," the other joked.

Albert sighed, shaking his head. "I must be getting old… not being able to remember such things…"

Sasarai laughed. "I was just joking, about the telling you part of course! My wife insisted that you didn't find out or else you'd scold us!" He looked at the grave that still kept his daughter occupied. "Who'd have ever thought I'd end up being your son-in-law…" he said with a far away look in his eyes.

"Not my fault that you're older than me," the Silverberg retorted. The two started laughing, lighting up the mournful place with their voices.

Sasarai motioned to Caesar's grave with a jerk of his head. "Is this going to be the last time?"

"Yes… this will be the last time I will come here."

"I see…"

"It's about time that I stopped thinking about what happened fifty years ago…"

The stared at the grave with the girl who prayed at it and silently gave Caesar's her own thoughts as the wind picked up once again, but it was still not strong enough to blow anything but loose vegetation about.

"Just why did you decide to pass the True Rune on to him of all people?" Sasarai asked after a while. "I understand that it 'fits' his name, but I've always assumed that it was a joke of yours."

The strategist chuckled. "Bearers of the True Runes are fated to live forever until the runes are lost or the host is killed. You'd probably understand more than anyone why the other three decided to keep their runes."

"Go on…" Sasarai responded as he tried to see what Albert was trying to say.

"I just made it easier for the bearer of the True Water Rune to uphold her decision to keep her rune," he continued, closing his eyes and feeling the wind, which had died to a soft breeze once again, against his face. He had never gotten used to not being in control of that element. Sasarai observed him carefully but found no trace of the emotion he had been searching for all these years. "… but to be truthful, I was never able to accept my brother's death. As another one of the reasons, I guess you can say that the True Wind Rune was a reminder of that day…"

"Then have you ever regretted giving the rune to Percival?" the High Priest asked him after a few minutes of silence. "Regretted losing the immortality that it gave you, losing the power over the wind, losing… a piece of yourself?"

Albert smiled, looking at his granddaughter. "Never…"

The wind picked up again with a gush of energy.

_Never…_

…**The End…**

* * *

Note: Wow… it's finished! I'm amazed! When I first started this, I meant for it to be a one shot, but I had just finished Suikoden III that winter, and I couldn't get the game out of my system; I was so addicted! So I continued writing… and then stopped because of school and lack of ideas. Ironically, I started again when I started school… and made up most of the story as I wrote, ha ha! This epilogue was actually written around Chapter 15 because I kind of ran out of ideas for that chapter. I just suddenly thought of the ending/epilogue and this came out… way too early. Now it's finally free from the confines of my own computer to be with the rest of its buddy chapters!

So, last note, and it's almost on every chapter because I really appreciate all of you who have been reading (even if you don't review, but a review is nice and encouraging… insert a smiley face here): Thank you so much for reading! See you again (hopefully)!


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